Bengaluru
Karnataka has further tightened its coronavirus rules stating no one will be allowed to enter from Maharashtra and Kerala without a Covid-negative certificate.
The move comes amid alarming reports that Begaluru and other areas may be at a tipping point and witness a surge in days to come.
“The negative RT-PCR report shall be verified at the time of boarding. For those travelling by bus, tickets shall be issued on production of a negative report or shall be checked by the bus conductor when those who booked tickets online board the bus. In trains, the TTEs shall check the negative RTPCR test report,” Chief Minister BS Yediyurappa said, after a meeting with the technical advisory committee on the Covid-19 pandemic.
On imposing a night curfew, he said “We will wait and watch for another week. If people don’t take adequate precautionary measures, mainly wearing masks and maintaining social distancing, we may be forced to take stricter measures,’’ he added. “We will try to understand what the PM is planning and then take a final decision,” he said.
Meanwhile, Bengaluru has been consistently reporting a spike in Covid-19 cases. With 628 new cases on Sunday, Bengaluru touched a high after reporting less than 250 cases a day all through February. It was the highest single-day spike among big cities in the south.
On Monday, Bengaluru reported 550 fresh cases, taking active Covid cases to 6,454.
“The incremental rise suggests Bengaluru is seeing a surge. Most new cases are in peripheral areas where prevalence was comparatively lower in our earlier sero survey. Outer areas are epicentres of the surge,” Dr Giridhara R Babu, epidemiologist and member of the technical advisory committee, said.
He warned the city is “at a tipping point”.