All activities can resume from July 22: Ashoka
BENGALURU:
Naysaying rumours that the ongoing week-long lockdown in Bengaluru would be extended, Chief Minister B S Yediyurappa on Friday said a lockdown is not a solution for controlling Covid-19 and clarified that ‘there was no proposal before the government’ to extend it.
The CM’s statement, as conveyed in a release from his office, comes in the wake of much speculation that the current lockdown in Bengaluru Urban and Rural areas, running from 8 pm of July 14 till 5 am on July 22, will be extended for another week so as to ‘break the chain of transmission’.
On Friday, the CM chaired a Covid-review meeting with ministers in charge of the eight zones in the city as well as officials.
On the eve of the current lockdown too, Yediyurappa had said there was no plan to extend it and had urged citizens not to go by rumours.
ಬೆಂಗಳೂರಿನಲ್ಲಿ ಕೋವಿಡ್19 ನಿಯಂತ್ರಣಕ್ಕೆ ಸಂಬಂಧಿಸಿದಂತೆ ಮುಖ್ಯಮಂತ್ರಿ ಶ್ರೀ @BSYBJP ರವರು ಇಂದು ಸಚಿವರು ಹಾಗೂ ಸಂಸದರ ಸಭೆ ನಡೆಸಿದರು.
— CM of Karnataka (@CMofKarnataka) July 17, 2020
ಡಿಸಿಎಂ @drashwathcn, ಗೃಹ ಸಚಿವ @BSBommai, ಕಂದಾಯಸಚಿವ @RAshokaBJP, ವಸತಿಸಚಿವ @VSOMANNA_BJP, ಕೇಂದ್ರಸಚಿವ @DVSadanandGowda, ಸಂಸದ @Tejasvi_Surya,ಅಧಿಕಾರಿಗಳು ಉಪಸ್ಥಿತರಿದ್ದರು pic.twitter.com/yJEUhOpr8e
Mayor, civic chief’s ‘opinion’
However, running counter to the CM’s statement, Mayor M Goutham Kumar and BBMP commissioner B H Anil Kumar — who were not present at the CM-convened meeting — expressed their ‘personal opinion’ to mediapersons that a 15-day lockdown is required to break the chain of transmission of the coronavirus.
Ashoka’s take
Speaking to reporters after Friday’s meeting, Revenue Minister R Ashoka stressed that the lockdown will not be extended and ‘all activities’ can resume from July 22.
“I’m saying this after discussions with the Chief Minister. The lockdown has given us some breathing time. If we continue the lockdown, it will keep on continuing,” he said.
The minister said sealing of hotspots would continue. Zonewise arrangements would be made to step up testing, and the issue of beds and ventilators was being addressed, Ashoka said.
ಬೆಂಗಳೂರಿನಲ್ಲಿ ಕೋವಿಡ್ ನಿರ್ವಹಣೆ ಕುರಿತು ವಲಯ ಉಸ್ತುವಾರಿಗಳೊಂದಿಗೆ ಮುಖ್ಯಮಂತ್ರಿ ಶ್ರೀ @BSYBJP ಸಭೆ ನಡೆಸಿದರು. ಸೋಂಕಿತರ ಆಸ್ಪತ್ರೆ ದಾಖಲಾತಿಯಲ್ಲಿನ ತೊಡಕುಗಳ ನಿವಾರಿಣೆ ಹಾಗೂ ಕೋವಿಡ್ ಪರೀಕ್ಷೆಗಳನ್ನು ಹೆಚ್ಚಿಸುವತ್ತ ಒತ್ತು ನೀಡಲು ಸೂಚಿಸಿದರು. ಸಭೆಯಲ್ಲಿ ಇತರ ವಲಯ ಉಸ್ತುವಾರಿಗಳು, ಸಂಸದರು ಹಾಗೂ ಅಧಿಕಾರಿಗಳೊಂದಿಗೆ ಭಾಗವಹಿಸಿದೆನು. pic.twitter.com/wgsRoXzS3X
— R. Ashoka (ಆರ್. ಅಶೋಕ) (@RAshokaBJP) July 17, 2020
