The Karnataka government has decided to open class 9, 10 and pre-university classes in districts which have less than 2 per cent of positivity of COVID infection.

The decision was taken on Saturday in the high level meeting chaired by Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai with experts and senior officers.

If COVID cases get reported in schools after reopening, they will be closed for a period of 1 week and then opened, Bommai explained. School staff including teachers must get vaccinated on priority, he added.

It has also been decided in the meeting to formulate a separate strategy for each district to deal with COVID menace. In the coming two weeks, genome sequencing labs will be set up in Bengaluru, Mysuru, Shivamogga, Kalburgi, Belagavi, Hubballi. This would quicken detention of Delta variant virus, Bommai stated.

It has been directed to reserve ICU beds for treatment of children in Bengaluru. Presently, Bengaluru has a positivity rate of 0.75 per cent. If the rate crosses 2 per cent and more than 40 per cent of affected people get admitted to oxygenated beds, BBMP Commissioner has been given authority to take up stringent measures in Bengaluru, Bommai underlined.

Meanwhile, in a health bulletin released by the department of Health and Family Welfare, as many as 1,632 new cases reported in the last 24 hours in the state. Besides, 25 new COVID deaths reported.

The positivity rate in the state remained at 1.04 per cent. Bengaluru Urban reported 377 positive cases and 1 death in the same period. Dakshina Kannada recorded the highest cases in the state (411).