More Covid-19 curbs after April 17 bypolls, indicates BS Yediyurappa

Bengaluru: CM Yediyurappa said more stringent measures including the extension of the 10 pm-5 am curfew could be considered after the bypolls on April 17. This announcement came after a day in Karnataka and Bengaluru reported the highest single-day spike in Covid cases since the outbreak started.

Speaking a day after Ugadi, the CM reiterated that lockdown will not be imposed in any part of the state, in a meeting with officials on Covid preparedness.

The state’s daily tally surpassed the 11,000 mark for the first time as it saw 11,256 new cases on Wednesday, of which 8,155 were from Bengaluru alone.

The sudden rise of Covid positivity to 9.9% was attributed by the officials after the clearing of backlogs post the holiday.

Karnataka breached the 13,000 mark in deaths after thirty-eight Covid deaths were reported, of which Bengaluru alone accounted for 23, the highest since March 2020.

The active caseload in Bengaluru alone stands at 63,167 (85,480 in the state). Of these patients, 184 are in ICUs (506 in state).

Yediyurappa said, “We will take into consideration all possible steps to curb the spread of the virus. While I reiterate that there will be no lockdown, we will consider further strict curbs after the by-elections.A final decision on extending the night curfew will be taken by the Technical advisory committee.” The CM has called an all party meeting on April 18 to discuss the steps to tackle the Covid 19 resurgence.

Bypolls to the Belagavi Lok Sabha seat and Maski and Basavakalayan assembly segments will be held on Saturday. The CM who was in Belagavi on Wednesday for campaigning, put off his return to Bengaluru after reporting fever and uneasiness.

Government will look at stepping up curbs over weekends: Bommai
Currently, eight cities namely: Bengaluru, Mysuru, Mangaluru, Udupi, Manipal, Tumakuru, Kalaburagi and Bidar, have night curfew in force till April 20. Furthermore, restrictions have been imposed o”n the occupancy in gyms, cinema halls, restaurants and on public gatherings.

Home minister Basavaraj Bommai urged people to wear masks, practicing hygiene and maintain social distancing, which are basic Covid 19 safety norms. He shared the views of the CM and acknowledged that no lockdown will be imposed.

“There is no lockdown proposal in front of the government and we are giving more attention to prevent Covid 19 without such measures. But for that people need to cooperate,” said Bommai.

The government will look at stepping up curbs over weekend, he added.

On Tuesday, the CM directed senior government officials to ensure there is no shortage of beds for the pateints and to collect real time availability data from private hospitals as well.

He urged officials to take strict action against people who do not follow Covid 19 protocols.

The state Congress chief DK Sivakumar called the consultation with the opposition to be a desperate move. He added, “The government so far has not taken any suggestions and ignored our cries about corruption in Covid management. Now, the CM has decided to call the all-party meeting since the situation is going out of control. They have not even formally invited us to the meeting. We will decide on whether to take part in it or not after taking inputs of our leaders.”