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Ameen Mudassir, a health volunteer who founded COVID Helpline Bangalore broke down in a video that went viral on 19 April.
“I just cannot control my emotions and I am sharing with you the hard reality. COVID-19 has wreaked havoc in the city. There is absolute chaos at hospitals. People who are in ICU are being asked to leave because the oxygen supply is not there in these small hospitals. People are not able to find an ICU bed even after calling 50 to 70 hospitals. There are queues outside hospitals,” he said on camera.
Dr K Sudhakar, health minister of Karnataka, told media persons on 19 April, “There is no dearth of oxygen. But there are some logistical issues which we are sorting out. We have called a meeting with industries minister and all producers and suppliers of oxygen. We will sort out the issue. Oxygen will not be an issue.”
Mudassir, in tears, told people to stay at home and asked the government to step in.
The health minister thinks that lockdown is a good idea. “It is a good move to break the chain. We all know it is not rocket science. If you want to temporarily break the chain, 14 days of lockdown will be essential,” he said.
Will Karnataka impose a lockdown?
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