The Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike BBMP) has identified 17 hotels in the city where people kept under observation or advised to go in quarantine for COVID-19 surveillance can stay. All these hotels will have no air-condition facilities as recommended by health professionals.
These hotels include Sabarwal Residency in Sudhama Nagar, Emirates Hotel in Madiwala, Empire Hotel and Silicrest in Koramangala, OYO Amethyst in Jayanagar, Ramakrishna Lodge in Gandhinagar, Hotel Citadel in Anand Rao Circle, Likith International near Freedom Park, Fortune Park JP Celestial on Race Course Road, Arafa Inn in Gandhinagar, Lemon Tree Premier in Ulsoor, Keys Select Hosur Road in Singasandra, Chalukya Hotel, OYO Town on Kensington Road, Sri Lakshmi PG in Domlur, Key Select Whitefield and Trinity Wood Hotel on Swami Vivekananda Road.
These facilities will be used by the Health Department as and when deemed required based on the occupancy levels.
Till date, a total of 14,115 persons were enrolled for observation since the pandemic started and a total of 182 persons have been put in designated health facilities in the state spread across the district. Among them, 3076 people have been tested and 2763 persons have reported negative.
A total of 81 patients in Karnataka have contracted the COVID-19 disease and among them, 41 are from Bengaluru city. Among the others, eight are from Chikkaballapura and Mysuru districts each, while Dakshina and Uttara Kannada districts have seven patients each.
Five of them, all from Bengaluru, have been discharged following their recovery and three patients have died as of Sunday.
Kodagu, Dharwad, Udupi and Tumakuru have one case each while Kalaburgai and Davangere both have three cases each.
Meanwhile, the Health Department said they are considering to acquire rapid testing kits.
Speaking to reporters, Additional Chief Secretary Health and Family Welfare department Jawaid Akhtar, said the government was in the process of finalising the order for one lakh rapid testing kits for COVID-19 testing, which will give results quickly.
"We are also looking at aspects relating to accuracy, before finalising the order," he said in response to a question.