BENGALURU: Chief Minister BS Yediyurappa on Tuesday declared that the Karnataka government will not extend the weeklong lockdown in Bengaluru that will end early on Wednesday morning.
"There won't be a lockdown in Bengaluru or any other part of the state," the CM said in his first address to people of the state after the outbreak of the pandemic.
"Lockdown is not the answer to contain the spread of COVID-19. We need to wear masks and strictly follow social distancing," the CM said during his 22-minute address that was streamed live on social media platforms. Emphasising the need to revive economic activities, the CM said the government will focus on resource mobilization even as it takes measures to fight the pandemic.
Reassuring people on the measures taken by the government to tackle the health crisis, the CM attributed the surge in cases in the last few weeks to people travelling to Karnataka from Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu and other states that were reporting high numbers of cases.
"We are doing everything possible and there is no need to panic, but we all need to take adequate precautions to prevent the spread," the CM said and explained various measures taken by the government, including its focus on 5Ts: Trace, Track, Test, Treat and Technology. He also exhorted citizens to strictly follow the guidelines and cooperate with the government
Admitting that there were certain shortcomings in the system, especially related to allocation of beds in private hospitals and treatment of COVID and non-COVID patients, the CM said all those issues have been resolved and they have sufficient number of beds.
Not a rupee misappropriated
Responding to opposition Congress leaders' allegations, the CM said not even a single rupee has been misappropriated in the purchase of medical equipment and officers will provide any information sought by opposition leaders
Appealing to Congress leaders not to create confusion among people, the CM said everyone needs to work together to fight the pandemic. The Congress has accused the government of misappropriation in the purchase of PPE kits, ventilators and other equipment.
Yediyurappa asked people not to panic or resort to extreme measures as 98 percent of people who tested positive have recovered. He also asked people to be kind to those who tested positive and not stigmatize them.