As many as 68 of around 400 nursing students who had arrived from outside the State for writing examinations tested positive for COVID-19 in Ballari on Tuesday.
As per the information provided by the local authorities, most of the students, who are rom Haryana, Bihar, Uttar Pradesh, and other northern States, had arrived in the district without a valid RT-PCR negative report obtained within the past 72 hours.
Alerted by the possibility of infection, the administration took their throat swabs and sent it to the laboratory for test.
Upon getting the confirmation of infection, the administration isolated the infected candidates and made separate arrangements for them to write the exams.
Meanwhile, the police bookes cases against 13 educational institutions and hotels for providing accommodation for the candidates who had not produced RT-PCR negative reports.
As per the information provided by Ballari Superintendent of Police Saidulu Adavath, the Cowl Bazar and the Ballari Rural police, acting on a complaint by Ballari taluk tahsildar Rehman Pasha, booked Marched Residency, Vidya Comforts, Vishnu Priya Lodge, Chalukya Lodge, BDDS, Amala Nivas, Indian Nursing College, Puja School of Nursing, Mata Function Hall, Ne Era Nursing College, Karnataka Nursing College, Sharabeshwara Nursing College, and Best School of Nursing under various sections of National Disaster Management Act and Indian Penal Code.
Ballari and Vijayanagara districts have jointly been reporting a high number of COVID-19 positive cases for the last one week. The twin district reported 714 new cases (Ballari-532 and Vijayanagara-182) on Tuesday. Ballari taluk topped with 378 new cases in Ballari district followed by Sandur (113). Hosapete reported highest new cases (91) in Vijayanagara district followed by Hadagali (34) and Harapanahalli (27). With the discharge of 54 people after recovery, the total number of active cases stood at 3341 by 7 pm on Tuesday. The district had reported 560 new cases on Monday, 566 cases on Sunday and 410 cases on Saturday.
In a video conference meeting, Ballari Deputy Commissioner Pavan Kumar Malapati briefed Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai on the COVID-19 situation and the containment measures taken in the district. He said that the arrival of workers from outside the State to Jindal Steel factory was one of the major reasons behind the sudden spike in the cases.
As the COVID-19 cases rise in Vijayanagara district, the administration geared up containment measures including the establishment of COVID-19 war room and helpline.
Deputy Commissioner Anirudh Sravan P., in a media release, said that the war room would function round the clock and appealed to the people to contact it by calling 08394-200108.
