Bengaluru: Looking at the rising cases of coronavirus, a number of state and Central ministers are favouring extension of lockdown in Karnataka. Speaking to news agency PTI, Union Minister Sadananda Gowda on Saturday said that lockdown in Karnataka has to be extended if need be, as it has been yielding results, with major cities including Bengaluru witnessing a decline in daily COVID-19 cases. The statement from the union minister comes at a time when the state is under complete lockdown till May 24.
“Lockdowns have been successful and have yielded results, cities like Mumbai, Delhi, and Karnataka’s Bengaluru are examples. There has been a decline (in Bengaluru) since the last couple of days,” Gowda said.
The union minister also said that there is a need to break the chain of the virus in the state. “We have to save lives, leading life may become difficult, governments will have to take steps to improve it,” he added.
Notably, Gowda was the first Union Minister to favour lockdown extension in the state. bPrior to him, State Revenue Minister R Ashoka also supported the extension of the statewide lockdown, aimed at controlling the spread of the pandemic. Earlier, Karnataka Home Minister had also called for extension of lockdown in Karnataka.
“As the 14-day lockdown since May 10 has helped us in controlling COVID cases, I am in favour of extending it beyond May 24 to contain the virus spread further,” Ashoka had said.
High lighting that new cases which were over 25,000 in a day in Bengaluru earlier declined to about 17,000 daily after the lockdown was imposed, Ashoka said its extension would further reduce the caseload.
To keep the infection under control, the Karnataka government had initially announced 14 days lockdown from April 27, and then subsequently imposed a complete lockdown from May 10 to May 24.
Karnataka on Friday reported 41,779 new cases of COVID- 19, and 373 fatalities, taking the total number of infections to 21,30,267 and the death toll to 21,085. Bengaluru Urban alone accounted for 14,316 new cases. Total number of active cases in the state stood at 5,98,605.
Among 373 deaths reported today, 121 are from Bengaluru Urban, Ballari (26), Kalaburagi (21), Hassan (20), Tumakuru (19), Uttara Kannada (15), Bagalkote (14), Mandya and Ramangara (13), followed by others.
Tumakuru district accounted for 2,668 new cases, Ballari 2,421, Mysuru 2,340, Belagavi 1,592, Mandya 1,385, followed by others.
Bengaluru Urban district tops the list of positive cases, with a total of 10,29,312, followed by Mysuru 1,07,827 and Tumakuru 77,039.