Karnataka govt launches 'quarantine watch' amid rising Covid-19 cases

The Karnataka government has launched a new mobile application called Quarantine Watch in Bengaluru to prevent the spread of coronavirus. The app developed by the government will monitor those on quarantine so that they do not violate the rules.

Users of the app will need to send photos or selfies to the monitoring team every hour through the app. The selfies would have GPS coordinates that will tell the exact location of the person. The state government said that all the photos sent will be checked by the government photo verification team.

As positivity rates increase between people of 20-40 years, the government has started stamping patients under quarantine. "We don't want their movement when they're in isolation," the state health minister K Sudhakar said, as mentioned in a report in ANI.

On Thursday, the Karnataka government announced that people coming to Bengaluru from other states would need to take the RT-PCR test. "People coming from any state to Bengaluru need to take RT-PCR test including Kerala, Maharashtra, Punjab, Chandigarh and other states as well," said the health minister.

The government also limited the number of people allowed to attend social gatherings. It said that 500 people would be allowed to attend marriages in an open space and for closed space the limit would be 200 people. Limit for birthday parties and celebrations would be 100 people, while 500 people would be allowed to attend religious celebrations and political functions.

Organisers will be responsible for ensuring that protocols are maintained. In case of violation, they will be fined. The government also said that a fine of Rs 250 will be imposed for not wearing masks in public.

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