Lockdown will give time to prepare better: Ashoka

Says decision on extension will be taken depending on situation

Published: 15th July 2020 07:07 AM  |   Last Updated: 15th July 2020 03:10 PM   |  A+A A-

Officials check documents of people crossing the Karnataka-Tamil Nadu border at the Attibele Toll Plaza, ahead of the lockdown.

Officials check documents of people crossing the Karnataka-Tamil Nadu border at the Attibele Toll Plaza, ahead of the lockdown. (Photo | Pandarinath B, EPS)

By Express News Service

BENGALURU: As the number of Covid-19 positive cases and fatalities in Karnataka, especially Bengaluru, continue to surge day by day, the state government hopes that the week-long lockdown from Tuesday night will help break the chain of virus transmission and give it time to further ramp-up virus containment facilities.“It will give us time to prepare and bring the situation under control,’’ said Revenue Minister R Ashoka, who is among his cabinet colleagues in-charge of controlling the spread of the virus and ramping up infrastructure in the state capital. “The lockdown will give us breathing time and we hope things will be better,” the minister said on Tuesday.

Chief Minister B S Yediyurappa imposed the lockdown for a week after discussions on the ground situation in Bengaluru with eight zonal in-charge ministers and senior officials.In the last few days, the number of positive cases and deaths have increased significantly. On Tuesday, 1,267 new cases and 56 deaths were reported in the city, taking the tally of the positive cases to 20,969 and fatalities to 377.
Ashoka said the decision on extending the lockdown will be taken depending on the situation. “Now, we have decided to impose the lockdown for a week and the decision (on extending it) will be taken depending on the situation,” he added.

The state government had estimated the number of cases to touch 25,000 in August, but it crossed 44,000 in July itself. Even Medical Education Minister Dr K Sudhakar had recently said that though they had anticipated an increase in the number positive cases after lockdown restrictions were eased, they had not expected such a sudden surge in numbers during the first week of July.