Bengaluru, Jan 5 (PTI) With surging coronavirus cases in Karnataka, Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai on Wednesday asked the BJP cadre to involve themselves in COVID management in the state.

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"I have asked the BJP workers to actively involve themselves in COVID management in the interest of public health," Bommai told reporters after a meeting with party state president Nalin Kumar Kateel and other office bearers.

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Bommai said BJP workers have been asked to involve themselves actively in the campaign to tackle the spread of Omicron, the new variant of the novel coronavirus.

They can play a role in providing useful information to the public, spreading awareness about precautionary measures, assisting in quarantine, getting ambulance services and vaccination, he said.

The Karnataka government on Tuesday announced fresh restrictions, including closure of schools and pre-university colleges except for Classes 10 and 12, weekend curfew and extension of night curfew.

The government also restricted congregation of people in large numbers and banned rallies and protests. The measures were taken after a sudden spurt in COVID cases since January 1 when the health department started reporting more than 1,000 infections daily.

On Wednesday, Bengaluru alone reported 3,605 COVID cases, according to Health Minister Dr K Sudhakar.

(The above story is verified and authored by Press Trust of India (PTI) staff. PTI, India’s premier news agency, employs more than 400 journalists and 500 stringers to cover almost every district and small town in India.. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)