Bengaluru,  A day after banning home isolation system in rural areas, Karnataka on Monday told all Deputy Commissioners and CEOs of Zila Panchayats to take steps to convert schools, hostels, meeting halls, and marriage halls in their areas into Covid isolation centres so all those who test Covid positive can be monitored in government facilities.

This decision was taken in a virtual meeting of officers concerned, chaired by Chief Minister B.S. Yediyurappa here.

He directed that the government machinery will have to gear up to ensure that patients, symptomatic or asymptomatic, should be monitored in government facilities itself and should not be allowed home isolation at any cost.

"Apart from utilising facilities of Primary Health Centres, the authorities must also identify hostels, marriage halls and meeting halls and convert them into isolation centres, if need arises," he said.

He added that the authorities concerned must take steps to stock up adequate quantities of medicines and other materials required to be given to isolation patients. Deputy Commissioners were also asked to maintain adequate oxygen stocks too.

"The Deputy Commissioners must take steps to identify suitable places to set up triage centres, and temporary Covid care centres, besides, ensuring all those testing positive must be taken to isolation centres within two hours of the Covid test report is handed over to the patient," he said.

Yediyurappa also said that the state government was in process of stocking up of medicines for three months and the Centre had also assured the state government of extending its support in this regard.

Allaying fears of black fungus disease, he said that the state government was taking adequate steps to stock up medicines to tackle this as well. "This is not a new disease and doctors are aware of handling it. Therefore, it won't be problem in tackling it. We are also taking steps to set-up treatment centres in all medical colleges as well as district hospitals in a phased manner," he said.