Karnataka’s COVID-19 Technical Advisory Committee (TAC) has recommended that the Health Department should put in place strict Standard Operating Procedures (SoPs) for the ten-day Khelo India University Games, 2021 scheduled to be held in Bengaluru from April 24.
More than 8,000 students and staff from 200 universities across India will take part in the event wherein over 20 sports activities will be held till May 3. The event will be held on the Jain University campus and Kanteerava Stadium in Bengaluru.
Mumbai cases
The TAC that held its 163rd meeting on April 6 has cautioned that congregation of persons in such large numbers is known to act as a “super spreader event”. “Hence, it is important to have SoPs in place for surveillance of COVID-19, especially now when the emergence of new hybrid/recombinant variants of Omicron-XE in the UK and other countries are posing a problem. Also, there are reports of a case of Omicron-XE in Mumbai, which the INSACOG is yet to confirm. Relevant SoPs are all the more important In this context for COVID prevention,” stated the TAC report.
The recommended SoPs include making compulsory two dose/fully vaccination certificates for all sports persons including officials, spectators and others; face masking while indoors (except competing sports persons); strict compliance of COVID appropriate behaviour at the venue and staggered meal times to avoid overcrowding. Besides, daily screening should be taken up for symptomatic persons and they should be subjected to Rapid Antigen Tests (RAT) followed by RT-PCR if necessary, the report stated.
While advising that the prescribed accommodation capacity should not be exceeded at the place of stay and during transportation, the TAC has said a health unit with a medical team should be available at the venues with advanced life support ambulances linked to the nearest specialty hospitals. Besides, hand sanitizers should be provided and rest rooms at the venues should be disinfected twice daily, the report stated.
Not yet over
“Although the COVID situation in Karnataka now is the best now since January 2021 and the Omicron-driven third wave has ended, the pandemic is yet to be officially declared as over,” the report pointed out.
State Health Commissioner Randeep D, who also heads the Health Committee set up by the Chief Secretary to oversee the games, said all the recommendations made by the TAC will be translated into guidelines. “We will soon issue the guidelines. We have been holding a series of meetings to discuss the health care and medical teams’ preparedness for the event,” the Commissioner said.
