Onus on citizens to prevent third Covid wave: BBMP chief

BENGALURU: The end of the second wave, the coming of the third wave and how fast it hits will all depend on people’s action and behaviour, Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) Chief Commissioner Gaurav Gupta said on Tuesday.

Speaking to the media, he said that cases have come under control at the moment because of the lockdown and this was even noted by Chief Minister B S Yediyurappa on Monday. While the State Government is discussing and working on constituting a task force for handling the third wave, the manner in which it will hit depends on the actions of people, he stressed.

If people start gathering in crowded places, visiting eateries and food joints, attend get-togethers and not follow Covid Appropriate Behaviour, then the third wave will hit sooner, just like the second wave did, he warned. Citing the example of other countries like Taiwan, Korea and Singapore, he said there have been lockdowns which helped in reducing the number of cases. The safety of people in the pandemic depends on their attitude, actions and behaviour, he emphasised. Gupta was speaking on the sidelines of a visit to Dasappa Hospital in Town Hall to take stock of the Covid-19 situation.

As the positivity rate is not coming down in the second wave, because of targeted testing, experts working closely with the government, at the high level meeting on Tuesday, suggested that the lockdown should not be relaxed till all measures are in place to handle the third wave as there could be a sudden explosion of cases once the lockdown is lifted.

“The government must ensure that there is sufficient stock of vaccines, medicines and oxygen in hospitals and other places for treatment. It must also ensure that there are sufficient oxygen beds, ICU beds and machines to handle the rise in case load in hospitals and in Covid Care Centres,” the experts suggested.Another official pointed out, “The government and people are yet to learn from the first and second waves that the rise and control of cases are in the hands of citizens.”

‘No flooding should happen in 209 spots’

BBMP chief commissioner Gaurav Gupta on Tuesday directed officials to ensure that the identified 209 flood prone areas do not experience any flooding.  At the virtual meeting with all officials, he said officer should be deployed in the vulnerable locations to ensure that there are no mishaps in all these regions.  The storm water drains need to be cleaned up to ensure there is no garbage which is dumped in the drains. He added that during the monsoon days, all the emergency teams and centres should be working. Ward-level centres should be set up to direct cases.