Two week curfew is not having the desired effect, government to go for complete lockdown

Bengaluru: On Thursday, Karnataka health minister K Sudhakar acknowledged that two -week curfew is not having the desired effect as the cases are still increasing every day. This indicated that the state government will go ahead for a full-scale two-week lockdown at a meeting on May 10.

Sudhakar said, “I needn’t say how this Janata curfew has been ineffective with congregations continuing. The trend is not limited to Bengaluru; districts, too, have failed to see its strict implementation. The result is not to our expectation.”

The current curfew ends at 6 am on May 12.

As the cases are reaching the peak with over 50,000 almost every day, experts are also of the view to extend the lockdown.

Dr Giridhar Babu, a professor and head of Life Course Epidemiology at the Public Health Foundation of India told, “At least in two weeks, we will see a peak in Karnataka.”

He is also a member of the Covid Technical Advisory Committee and said the case detention is currently erratic as the testing numbers have decreased, especially in Bengaluru.

He said, “I will not give a clear indication on the number of cases during the peak, but irrespective of the testing, we will see the peak in the next two weeks.”

He also highlighted that the decision of the state government to impose lockdown from April 27 to May 12 has saved approximately 5,800 lives.

Babu said, “Lockdown has helped in reducing the number of deaths, according to the models by IISc professor Sashikumaar Ganesan. So, I recommend that the lockdown be extended by at least two weeks.”

He said that triage could be an important measure in the fight against Covid.

Babu is of the view that there should be more screening and traits centres with oxygen supply all over Bengaluru where the cases are high.

He said, “These (Triaging centres) should be set up every five kilometres. By doing this kind of enhanced triage by using existing manpower, we can tide over the crisis.”

Apart from the increasing number of cases in the state, the number of deaths is also alarmingly high.

There were 49,058 fresh Covid cases on Thursday alone and the fatalities were 328. Out of this, Bengaluru urban alone accounted for 23,706 new cases and 139 deaths.