Daijiworld Media Network - Bengaluru (SP)
Bengaluru, Jun 16: Chief minister B S Yediyurappa on Tuesday June 16 expressed the opinion that the state is not in need of any more lockdowns. He said that the people now have to be facilitated to live their lives normally.
Speaking to media persons on Tuesday, June 16, he said that he will seek more concessions during the interaction he will have with Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday June 17.
The CM's statement comes ahead of the 6th centre-states interaction through video link on Wednesday. Karnataka has decided to seek from Prime Minister Narendra Modi leeway from lockdown guidelines in force till June 30 to contain Covid-19 spread.
"In my interaction with the Prime Minister on Wednesday, I will seek more relaxations as we have no plans to re-impose lockdown," said Yediyurappa
Unlike other states, Karnataka has unlocked partially since June 7 to restore normal life and revive economic activity in non-containment areas as it has been able to limit the pandemic's spread.
As per the May 30 standard operating procedure (SOP) of the Union Ministry of Home Affairs on the extended lockdown, places of worship, malls, hotels and offices have been opened. But wearing mask and maintaining social distancing have remained compulsory.
The decision to rule out further restrictions came after assessing the situation at a high-level meeting in Bengaluru on Monday, June 15, the CM asserted.
The state government will deal with the infection not with fresh curfews, but by tightening restrictions on outsiders and by strictly enforcing quarantine guidelines, giving out statistics to allay people’s concerns, Yediyurappa stated.
Referring to the current situation of coronavirus in Karnataka, the CM pointed out that the state has fared better in comparison to other states. Further, he stated that the death rate at 1.2 per cent was significantly lower than the national average of 2.8 per cent. Also, he highlighted that the recovery rate stood at 56.5 per cent which higher than the national average of 51 per cent.
In his appeal to electronic media, the CM urged people to not create panic as 93 per cent of cases were asymptomatic and only 7 per cent showed symptoms.
The government has conducted 7,100 tests per million population, which is more than targets set by the Indian Council of Medical Research, he said. The government will conduct an awareness campaign, in light of indications that the infection might spread. Yediyurappa also announced that June 18 would be observed as Mask Day as part of the awareness campaign. The authorities will collect a fine of 200 from those not wearing masks, the chief minister said, hinting the fine might increase in the coming days. The government will also set up a COVID-19 special task force to deal with the pandemic in Bengaluru and other neighbouring districts, the CM added.
As of Monday, the state tally of coronavirus inflated to 7,213. Among this, over 83-85 per cent of infected people have returned from Maharashtra, the coronavirus epicentre in India.
Claiming that the Covid-19 situation has been under control, the Chief Minister said the number of cases was rising because of returnees from other states, especially Maharashtra, Gujarat, Tamil Nadu and Delhi.
"Of the 7,213 cases till Monday, 4,386 came from Maharashtra and 1,340 from their contacts. In addition, 216 from overseas, 87 from Delhi, 67 from Tamil Nadu and 62 from Gujarat tested positive though they were asymptomatic," said Yediyurappa.
Of the total cases, 4,135 patients have been cured, 2,987 are under treatment, including 56 in ICU. With 88 deaths, the mortality rate in the state is 1.2 per cent against the national average of 2.8 per cent.
Stating that the state government will not reimpose lockdown in non-containment zones, an official said the state would like to reopen metro service, theatres, gyms, swimming pools, bars and pubs if allowed by the Centre.
With IANS inputs