84 devotees test positive for Covid, Karnataka dist on high alert

A high alert has been sounded in Mandya district of Karnataka as 84 devotees, who returned from Tamil Nadu after pilgrimage to Om Shakti temple, have tested positive for Covid-19, district authorities said on Friday.

Another batch of more than 800 pilgrims is arriving in the district and authorities have made arrangements to test them for Covid-19.

Thousands of people across the district make annual pilgrimage to Om Shakti temple in Tamil Nadu. As many of the devotees who came back from the pilgrimage tested positive, the district authorities have gathered information and tracked about 3,600 devotees belonging to different villages of the district who returned from Tamil Nadu after the pilgrimage.

All of them were tested, of which 84 have tested positive so far. The health department and district authorities have jointly taken up exercise to manage the situation.

Those tested positive have been home quarantined and would be tested again for Covid-19 after seven days.

Meanwhile, the district administration has clamped prohibitory orders in the district and given directions to cancel all bookings for outer states and pilgrimages. Tehsildars have been directed to open a quarantine and isolation centre in each of the taluks.

The authorities have requested the devotees of Om Shakti to cooperate with authorities to contain the virus spread.