Overall, Karnataka is the third worst-hit state in the country till now, behind Maharashtra and Kerala.
The Bengaluru police today banned the use of swimming pools, gyms, party halls, and other such amenities in apartment buildings within the city limits amid a worrying rise in cases of infection in the past few weeks.
"In the wake of increasing number of Covid-19 cases in Bengaluru, the Chief Secretary and Chairman, State Executive Committee, Karnataka State Disaster Management Authority...has imposed certain reasonable restrictions for public safety and health," a Bengaluru Police Commissioner's notice said today.
Gyms outside the city limits are allowed to operate at 50 per cent capacity.
In recent days the city has seen the maximum number of new cases in Karnataka, a state hit by a second wave of the coronavirus pandemic. By the end of March, it was being reported that of the nearly 2,000 new cases being reported that month, up to 50 were children under the age of 10 years. Amid this rise, beds set aside for Covid patients have been fast filling up in many hospitals.
Bengaluru is among India's 10 districts with the highest number of new cases, according to Union Health Secretary Rajesh Bhushan statement yesterday. The other cities are Pune, Mumbai, Thane, Nagpur, Nashik, Aurangabad, Ahmednagar, Delhi, and Durg.
Yesterday, the Bengaluru civic body decided to deploy some 2,000 home guards to ensure that people follow Covid-appropriate behaviour.
Overall, Karnataka is the third worst-hit state in the country till now, behind Maharashtra and Kerala. Yesterday alone, it reported over 6,000 new cases and nearly 40 deaths -- of these, 4,266 were from Bengaluru Urban alone.
On March 29, Karnataka Chief Minister BS Yediyurappa chaired a meeting to discuss ways to deal with the alarming spike. The government did not consider a lockdown though.