BENGALURU: Amid fears of a third Covid wave, the state saw a 37.10 per cent jump in Wednesday’s Covid cases at 566 as compared to Tuesday’s tally of 356. This is the first time since early October that the state has recorded over 500 cases a day. With Wednesday’s numbers, total Covid cases have gone up to 30,05,798 since the beginning of the pandemic.
Bengaluru contributed a major chunk of Wednesday’s cases with 400 people testing positive. The state also saw six deaths, taking the toll to 38,324. Also, five new Omicron cases were confirmed in the state, taking the tally of this new Covid variant to 43. A 22-year-old woman and a 24-year-old man travelling from the US, a 53-year-old man travelling from Dubai, a 61-year-old man coming from Ghana and a 41-year-old travelling from Mumbai were found to have Omicron, the health department reported on Wednesday.
Cluster outbreaks were reported in Kolar and Mandya. At Morarji Desai School in Kolar, 10 students tested positive and at a private nursing college in Bangarpet, four students are Covid-positive. At the school, after a student reported symptoms of fever, she was tested and the result came positive. Later, all the 252 students were tested, of which ten are positive. The school has now been declared a containment zone.
At a village in Maddur taluk of Mandya district, five primary class students at the Hallikere Government School tested positive. Initially, one student tested positive and after that all the 50 students were made to give swab samples, of which four are positive. Health officials rushed to the spot and sanitised the school premises before sealing it for a few days. Taluk health officials said there is no need to worry as the students are asymptomatic and isolated.
‘Safety a big concern’
Sr inivas Alavilli, head, civic participation, Janaagraha said, “Cities are flooded by private and personal
vehicles. The number of pedestrians is dwindling by the day. More peopl e want to cycle, but safety
is a major concern.
Unless we shift a lot of people from private vehicles to walking, cycling and enable public transport, our cities are going to see never-ending traffic jams. This Bill will address the rights of cyclists and pedestrians and could not have come at a better time.”