Virus-hit Telangana Techie has Bengaluru Link, Says Panicked K'taka Minister, Calls for Emergency Meet

Bengaluru: A late night tweet by Karnataka Health Minister B Sriramulu On Monday has set off alarm bells across India's tech capital Bengaluru.

In a series of tweet, Sriramulu revealed that a coronavirus-hit techie who is admitted to a hospital in Hyderabad had travelled from Bengaluru to the Telangana capital, leading to panic in the Karnataka capital.

According to him, the health department officials visited the area where the infected man had stayed before traveling to Hyderabad and are keeping a close watch on the health of the residents there.

“It is learned that the person infected with coronavirus had moved from Bangalore. Therefore, all those who lived at this person's local address have been identified and being taken care of,” Sriramulu posted.

Sriramulu, who is busy with his daughter's extravagant seven-day wedding this week, has convened an emergency meeting of the top officials of the health department on Tuesday to discuss the next steps in Bengaluru.

The state minister was under fire for focusing only on his daughter's wedding and ignoring the impending danger of the spread of the deadly virus.

According to a senior government doctor, the health department officials have been asked to visit the homes of all those who have returned from the coronavirus-affected countries for 28 days to keep a close tab on their health conditions.

Speaking to News18 a lady doctor said, "We have been asked to visit people who have just returned from virus-affected countries. It seems the immigration department at the airport has shared their details with the Karnataka government. We have to visit them every day for the next 28 days without a break. It is a tedious task. Unfortunately, we have not been given any security gears or suits. We don't even have masks. We have to buy it all using money from our pockets. Who will save us, if we contract coronavirus?"

However, Sriramulu says the government is fully equipped to handle the suspected cases and is personally monitoring the situation, despite being very busy with his daughter's mega wedding.