JOIN USWith 150 and 100 new cases, Udupi and Kalaburagi add to the 388 cases reported in Karnataka today. That's the highest single day spike for the state so far.Hita Prakash speaks to Swapna Prakash of Subbalakshmi Samsara fame to understand the impact of the lockdown on Kannada teleserials and their plans for the future.
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Hello. This the daily Covid update from Deccan Herald. I’m Akhil.
On the bulletin today:
388 cases - a new high for Karnataka, Udupi tops the list with 150 and Kalaburagi with 100 cases...Also on the bulletin, the Kannada teleserial industry grapples with restrictions as it prepares to resume work.
But first, a look at the daily figures...At the time of this recording, the total number of novel coronavirus cases reported in the country since January this year has crossed the 2 lakh mark.
Nearly half of these are active carriers of the virus and over 99,000 people have been discharged so far.
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Even as the number of cases and fatalities continue to rise, the Union Health Ministry has said that India is still a while away from the peak of the Covid-19 spread.
Meanwhile on Monday, Moody's Investors Service downgraded India to the lowest investment grade level, a notch above junk level, largely because the country faces a prolonged period of slower growth relative to its potential and rising debt levels. The Indian economy was already in the middle of an economic slowdown when the lockdown was announced.
With the worst yet to come, Prime Minister Narendra Modi asserted today, that structural reforms will be undertaken to change the course of the country. Assuring the Indian businesses of his support, he asked them to make India self-reliant.
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Moving on to the numbers from Karnataka...388 new cases were reported today the highest single day spike so far...of these, 356 patients have a travel history to Maharashtra.
147 of Udupi’s 150 cases, and all 100 new cases from Kalaburagi have recently returned from Maharashtra.
Belagavi is a distant third with 51 new cases.
Raichur reported 16 cases all from Maharashtra, Bengaluru Urban has registered 12 new cases.
All other districts have reported cases in single digits.
With this, Karnataka has recorded nearly 4000 cases of the novel coronavirus this year. 1,403 patients have been discharged of which 75 were discharged today. The state currently has over 2,339 active cases of which 14 are in the ICU.
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Nearly 24,000 National Health Mission workers are likely to go on strike on Thursday, and this is likely to hit Covid-19 containment activities in the state.
The workers, including doctors and nurses are working on contract basis and nearly half of them have not received their salaries for April and May. The government had promised to establish a committee to look into the grievances but it hasn’t passed an order for its formation.
The health workers include those working in Covid-19 wards of taluk hospitals and primary health centres.
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The education department will conduct a survey to gauge the opinion of teachers, school management and parents before arriving at a decision to reopen schools in the state from July.
The survey is likely to be conducted between June 10th and June 12th at all the block levels.
However, several parents commented on a Facebook post shared by the education minister and raised objections to the proposal, saying that schools must remain closed until a solution is found.
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Moving on, amid the surge in Covid-19 cases, business is limping back to a new normal. For some, like the Kannada teleserial industry, post-Covid operations have come to mean a rise in production budget, to ensure safety on the set. As most producers brace for bulging overhead costs, my colleague Hita Prakash spoke to Swapna Krishna - director and producer of well-known Kannada soap opera shows such as Ganga, Gruha Lakshmi, and Subbalakshmi Samsara, to find out what they’re up against.
And yet, the show must go on...
That's all from us today. For the latest updates, log on to deccanherald.com. Stay safe and we’ll see you tomorrow.
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