There have been 175 coronavirus positive cases in Karnataka (File)
The one question on the minds of everyone right now - will the lockdown be lifted after 21 days and will life get back to relative normalcy? In Karnataka, a task force set up by the state government has submitted its report on what they believe should be done amid the coronavirus crisis.
The task force was headed by Dr Devi Shetty of Narayana Health hospitals.
One of the suggestions is that educational institutions should be closed till May 30, and that online classes should be encouraged.
When it came to movement of the public, it was suggested that passenger carriers should be banned till further orders and that no buses, trains or flights should be permitted until April 30. And while the task force believes the Metro should not run until the end of the month, they felt auto rickshaws should be allowed. Odd-even system transport system should implemented, said the task force.
To meet the needs of the public, the transportation of goods should be allowed.
The task force recommended that all industries and garment manufacturing firms should operate with just 50 per cent of their strength. Construction workers should be allowed to work on sites - but only at 50 per cent strength. Garments workers should be allowed to stitch Personal Protective Equipment or PPE to meet the high demand, was among the recommendations.
Among other recommendations are that COVID-19 and non-COVID-19 patients should be segregated and online health services should be encouraged. The task force said that Rapid Test Kits would arrive on April 12.
In some relief to the districts where not many or no cases have been reported - the task force has recommended that restrictions should be minimised.
The task force said that the lockdown should be continued in hotspot areas and that quarantine measures should be strictly implemented.
The Karnataka cabinet will meet on Thursday morning and will review these recommendations.
There have been 175 coronavirus positive cases in Karnataka, of which four have died and 25 have recovered.