With recent surge in cases, is capital losing control over the Covid situation?
BENGALURU:
Questions are being raised over the wisdom of the state government in trying to show Bengaluru’s Covid record in a favourable light vis-à-vis a country like New Zealand, considering that Karnataka’s capital is now witnessing a spike in Covid-19 cases.
As per the latest health department bulletin, Bengaluru has 413 active cases, next only to Kalaburagi which has 442 active cases.
On June 8, New Zealand had announced that there were no active cases, laying claim to be the first country to eradicate the virus completely. Subsequently, Karnataka’s Medical Education Minister Dr K Sudhakar tried to show Bengaluru in an even better light, claiming that New Zealand had recorded 1,150 positive cases and 22 deaths while Bengaluru had reported 450 positive cases and 13 deaths. It was noted that the population of New Zealand is 50 lakh, while that of Bengaluru is 1.25 crore.
— Dr Sudhakar K (@mla_sudhakar) June 9, 2020
Wednesday was a deadly day for Bengaluru as it reported nearly 55 positive cases and 5 deaths. It also has the highest fatalities in Karnataka with a total of 43, followed by Kalaburagi with 10 deaths.
“It is quite possible that the authorities will say the surge happened only after ‘Unlock 1’ and the situation was under control during the lockdown. But that does not absolve the state government and the local administration of their responsibility in ensuring the Covid count is kept under control,” a source said.
Other districts facing an alarming situation are Yadgir (397 active cases), Raichur (271), Dakshina Kannada (225), Ballari (222), Bidar (148), Udupi (134) and Dharwad (118).
