Bengaluru, Jan 15 (PTI): In the wake of the COVID-19 situation in the State, the Karnataka government on Saturday said only the sick and patients requiring emergency care may visit the hospitals for the next two weeks to prevent crowding.

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The government has asked all the other patients with mild illness requiring outpatient or follow-up care not to visit hospitals till then or till further orders.

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"In pursuant to the existing COVID-19 situation, it is hereby informed that only sick and patients requiring emergency care may visit the hospitals/super-specialty hospitals and autonomous institutions," a notification from the Principal Secretary, Health and Family Welfare Department, T K Anil Kumar said.

All other patients with mild illness which requires outpatient care/ follow-up care/elective case including dental patients should not visit the hospitals for the next two weeks or till further orders to prevent crowding and the spread of COVID-19, it said.

Private hospitals have also been instructed to take similar steps.

The State has been registering a spike in cases. On Friday, there were 28,723 new cases, including 20,121 in the Bengaluru urban.

(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)