District level COVID-19 management committees to be formed in Karnataka

Bengaluru, 17 Aug 2021 [Fik/News Sources]: The Karnataka government on Monday issued a notification for formation of District Level COVID-19 Technical Expert Committees (TEC) for providing technical guidance to the district administrations on COVID-19 management. The decision comes as part of the state government's plan to decentralise COVID-19 management and allow district administrations and municipalities to take a decision over rules and regulations to be formed in their respective areas. Currently in Karnataka, there is a night curfew in place in the state from 9 pm to 5 am everyday. There is also a weekend curfew in districts bordering Kerala and Maharashtra that starts from Friday night and ends on Monday morning. 

Signed by Additional Chief Secretary, Health and Family Welfare Department, Jawaid Akhtar, the TEC has been constituted based on the recommendation of the state Technical Advisory Committee (TAC) from the experiences of two waves of COVID-19 pandemic and as the third wave is anticipated by the experts in October-November 2021. The TEC shall pursue the guidelines issued by Government of India and Karnataka, ICMR, AllMS, New Delhi, WHO and other organisations on a regular basis, and will regularly interact with the State TAC and function under its overall guidance.

In Bengaluru, Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai said that the Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) will monitor the daily case count. The test positivity rate in the city is around 0.66% and the Chief Minister said stricter regulations will be announced when the rate climbs above 2%. The TEC shall review the data at the district level and compare it with other districts, state, and national level on a continual basis, and shall help the district administration by using the information obtained locally and facilitate public health actions and containment measures.

The TEC shall guide the district administration to make decisions that are in consonance with guidelines of the state and the country, it added. The TEC shall consist of Senior Specialists in Public Health, Community Medicine, District Surveillance Officer (DSO), Senior Pulmonologist ,Senior Physician/ intensivist, Senior Pediatrician, Senior Obstetrician, Senior Microbiologist, Surveillance Medical Officer-WHO, and Senior Ayush Physician. The committee will have a District Health and Family Welfare Officer and District Surgeon as special invitees.

According to the notification, the committee shall meet on a regular basis, at least fortnightly, and based on the need may meet more frequently, and a copy of the proceedings shall be sent to Commissioner, Health and Family Welfare Services, Bengaluru through Deputy Commissioner. The Technical Advisory Committee (TAC) constituted at the state level will lay down the activities to be taken up and will handhold the District TECs in their functioning.