Karnataka: 31 Ajmer returnees test positive for Covid-19; state's tally climbs to 847

BENGALURU: Covid-19 positive cases spiked in Karnataka with 53 new cases being reported by Sunday noon, taking the state’s total to 847 positive cases.
Of the new cases reported, 31 infected people were from Belagavi, Bagalkot and Davanagere districts and have a travel history to Ajmer in Rajasthan while eight persons from chief minister B S Yediyurappa’s home constituency Shikaripura in Shivamogga district have a travel history to Ahmedabad in Gujarat.
This is the first time that Karnataka has seen such a major spike (with 53 cases in a day) in ever since Covid cases started getting reported. “A large chunk of the positive cases reportedly got infected while travelling in Ajmer as part of their pilgrimage. The Ajmer-returned infected patients include 19 women and eight children,” a health department official pointed.
Sources said a nearly 35-member group from Belagavi and Bagalkot districts had got stuck in Ajmer after the lockdown was announced. “They had made multiple attempts to reach Karnataka, but could not get out of Ajmer. Finally, they obtained a travel pass and hired a vehicle to reach Belagavi. When they reached Karnataka border on May 2 they were intercepted and quarantined by the Belagavi district administration. Tests on 31 of them have come positive so far,” a senior health department official said.
With regard to those who tested positive in Shivamogga district, officials said they had returned from Gujarat, where cases are high. Shivamogga district, which had not seen a single case, has now turned into the orange zone.
These apart, seven positive cases were reported from Bhatkal in Uttara Kannada, three each in Bengaluru and Kalaburagi and one each in Chikkaballapur and Davanagere districts.