BENGALURU: The State has entered the eighth day of the 14-day Corona Curfew with Bengaluru City alone witnessing an average of 20,000-22,000 new cases every day. As on Monday, the city had a whopping 2.8 lakh active cases. For three days between April 30 and May 2, 93, 162 and 65 deaths were reported per day. Till date, the number of Covid deaths in the city has crossed 6,600 mark. Over 90 percent of the deaths are in the age group of 55-90 years, showing their high vulnerability to the virus. On May 2, 65 deaths were reported. Of these, 10 were of those below 50 years old and 25 in the 65-90 age group.
Despite these horrifying figures, several people are seen moving about on streets without wearing masks or maintaining social distancing during the curfew relaxation hours of 6 am to 10 am. Such scenes were common at Uttarahalli Main Road, Channasandra, Kenchanahalli Road and also BEML Layout.At Hosakerehalli, Chikallasandra, Banagiri, Banashankari 3rd Stage and Poorna Pragna Nagar, many mutts were seen kept open. Though the front doors are closed, devotees were being allowed to get in through small side entrances.
Dr Guruprasad, a health expert, said, “Nobody seems to follow Covid protocols. The elderly and young people are seen moving around in groups without wearing masks. We should impose heavy fines and also jail them for two to three days for not following Covid norms.”A health official said, “The attitude of the people has to change if we have to break the chain of the virus. Citizens should have self-discipline and understand the gravity of the situation.”
Some experts suggest a complete lockdown. But Harish, a daily wage labourer, said, “If the government announces a complete lockdown, what will happen to people like us?”A BBMP official said, “We will take action, but people should follow norms themselves. We have asked resident welfare associations and apartment complexes to ensure such violations do not occur. People should cooperate with authorities and not step out of homes unnecessarily.”