Bengaluru has been divided in to zones with rising coronavirus cases (File)
Karnataka Chief Minister BS Yediyurappa today visited a massive COVID-19 care facility on the outskirts of state capital Bengaluru. With over 10,000 beds, the centre is a very visible way the state government is trying to tell the people of the city - we are prepared.
But given the spurt in cases in different pockets of the city, from the Central Business District (CBD) to the outskirts, the sprawling city has been divided into zones. There are currently eight zones in the city.
Law Minister Madhuswamy told the media after a cabinet meeting that each zone is monitored by ministers.
"To monitor and take decisions, government has created zones and each zone is monitored by individual ministers of Bengaluru," he said.
Bengaluru civic body commissioner Anil Kumar tweeted:
Despite the spike in coronavirus cases, the state government is against any re-imposition of the lockdown, beyond the Sunday lockdown, that has been announced for this month. This was reiterated by senior ministers.
"The government decision is no lockdown because COVID-19 and development work - we have to go along with both. You also have to make financial condition perfect. We have already had a lockdown. We have Sunday lockdown. The corporation also wanted Saturday and Sunday - but government wants only Sunday. With only lockdown we cannot control - that is the opinion of the expert committee of Karnataka," state Revenue Minister R Ashok said.
State Home Minister Basavaraj Bommai indicated that the need for another lockdown was not being felt now.
"There is no subject of lockdown in the cabinet right now. But the coronavirus situation is always fluid. Depending on the ground situation, government has been taking decisions all this while. We will consider the situation as it arises," he said.
Bengaluru Urban district has the highest number of cases in Karnataka accounting for more than half of the state's new cases over the last several days.