The Karnataka government has ended the speculation of a lockdown on Thursday as it ruled out the possibility of another lockdown in the city after the number of cases has steadily risen. The government termed the city to be “safe”.
As per the sources close to the government has said that Chief Minister BS Yediyurappa held a series of meetings and decided against imposing another lockdown. The government, however, will impose stringent rules in containment zones that will help the city control the spread of the money. The government has put the ball in the citizens’ court. It said,
“It all depends on how citizens behave. If they don’t cooperate (and follow safety measures), then we have no choice.”
Taking charge from K Sudhakar, Revenue minister R Ashok who is now heading COVID matters said that Bengaluru will have only containment zones and the areas which have a large number of cases will be sealed.
Unlock 2.0 Guidelines Soon
As per the sources, the reason why the government is not in favor of the lockdown as of now is because of the SSLC board examination and also because the center is likely to issue guidelines for the Unlock 2.0 phase. The Chief Minister has also directed the cabinet of ministers to refrain from making statements about lockdown which gives way for speculation. On Friday, CM Yediyurappa is likely to chair a meeting with elected representatives of the city to hear their advice for containing the spread of the virus.
The government is likely to wait till July 4th when the SSLC examinations are scheduled to end. Post that, it is likely to take a decision on the lockdown. The Chief Minister has also said that the moves will be taken based on the suggestions made by the COVID task force and expert committee. The chairman of the Karnataka State COVID-19 technical advisory committee, Dr. MK Sudharshan said that the total lockdown is not a remedy for the pandemic.
The Karnataka government is expected to launch a single-platform COVID-19 dashboard that will allow people to access COVID-19 data in real-time, the availability of beds, ventilators, and ambulances. Minister R Ashok confirmed it and said,
“This will help the government make quick decisions and minimize the delay between diagnosis and hospitalization.”
Source: The Times of India
