Over 45,000 instances every day, Karnataka chooses ‘last resort’: whole lockdown

With Karnataka clocking over 45,000 Covid instances every day up to now week, the BJP authorities has moved to impose a complete lockdown within the state — the “last resort” prescribed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi to sort out the surge in his deal with to the nation two weeks in the past.
On Friday night, Karnataka Chief Minister B S Yediyurappa introduced a full lockdown within the state from May 10 to May 24 to interrupt the chain of Covid transmission within the state.
“There will be no movement of people allowed in this period. There will be a window of four hours between 6 am and 10 am for people to buy essential items. There will be no industrial activity but in-situ construction is allowed,” Yediyurappa stated.
The announcement of the lockdown got here on a day when the state reported a report 592 deaths, together with 346 within the metropolis of Bengaluru.
Earlier within the day, Yediyurappa held a gathering with prime officers and ministers to debate the modalities for a complete lockdown. “People are not following social distancing norms and a lockdown seems invariable. Strict measures will have to be imposed and I will do it,” Yediyurappa stated after visiting a temple on Friday morning.
Karnataka CM BS Yediyurappa addresses a press convention in Bengaluru, Friday, May 7, 2021. (PTI Photo)
The state’s Health Ministry, a group of advisors constituted by the Health division and even ministers from Karnataka on the state and Centre had been pushing for a lockdown. Union Minister D V Sadananda Gowda, who’s mobilising provides of Remdesivir, had instructed {that a} lockdown is important to scale back the stress on provides.
“There is a lot of pressure on us from the local level also to control the spread of the virus. People’s representatives have also realised that a lockdown is the only way to control the spread,” Karnataka Health Minister Dr Ok Sudhakar stated.
“The Health department is of the view that a lockdown is very important. If we do not break the 14-day chain of transmission, it will spread rapidly and our healthcare infrastructure will not be sufficient. There will be more lives lost and more problems. To prevent this from happening, we have to take strong measures,” he stated.

Karnataka has witnessed a large Covid surge for the reason that final week of March, and recorded over 50,000 optimistic instances on May 5 with 346 deaths. Out of the 50,112 optimistic instances and 346 deaths on May 5, Bengaluru metropolis recorded 23,106 instances and 161 deaths.
While Bengaluru has been the epicentre of the second wave, the remainder of the state can be displaying rising numbers with the 185 deaths reported in different elements on May 5 being the best recorded exterior town.
The seven-day common of instances, which was within the vary of 4000 within the first week of April in Karnataka, has reached 45,036 within the final seven days. The positivity charge is now in extra of 30 per cent in comparison with the primary week of April when it was within the vary of seven per cent. In the primary wave final yr, the positivity charge had peaked at round 15 per cent.

There has been a mean of 273 deaths reported within the state every day within the final week and the case fatality charge has risen from 0.44 to 1.21 within the week.
The healthcare infrastructure in Karnataka has been discovered woefully wanting, particularly within the metropolis of Bengaluru. And there may be concern that because the virus spreads within the hinterland the place sources are much more meagre, it might convey your complete system to its knees. On May 1, oxygen scarcity at a state hospital within the backward district of Chamarajanagar brought about 24 deaths.
According to consultants, oxygen provides, lack of ICU beds with oxygen and ventilators, shortages in medication like Remdesivir and lack of manpower to facilitate the scale-up of infrastructure are main issues within the state.
The authorities is hoping a lockdown will assist in augmenting amenities within the state. A proposal is into account to extend the variety of ICU beds in Bengaluru by 2,000 by organising 500-bed makeshift hospitals in every of the 4 metropolis zones.
Karnataka has been beneath a two-week shutdown since April 27 however the curbs haven’t been imposed strictly and motion of individuals has been largely unrestricted in rural elements. Essential companies have been accessible from 6 am to 10 am and industrial models, liquor shops have been open whereas public transport remained off the roads.