From Our Special Correspondent

Daijiworld Media Network

Bengaluru, Jan 21: Imposition of weekend curfew throughout the State has not made a big impact on the Covid situation and the rate of infection as well as positivity rate are still on the rise and the rate of hospitalisation rate is ranging between 5 and 6 percent. The number of people infected has also considerably increased.

This is the finding of the experts reviewed at the high-level meeting convened by Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai on Friday, January 21 which decided to withdraw the weekend curfew throughout the State while continuing with the daily night curfew between 10 PM and 5 AM as well as all other prevailing restrictions on allowing 50 percent occupancy for hotels, restaurants, bars and pubs, malls etc.

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The Technical Advisory Committee, in its report submitted to the State Government, feels that the infections was likely to peak next week.

The high-level meeting also voiced concern over the higher rate of infection among the Covid frontline warriors.

Given these facts, it is not clear as to how or why the State Government decided to partially relax the restrictions by withdrawing the weekend lockdown. It is also not clear as to what was the purpose in imposing the weekend lockdown or the night curfew restrictions if the restrictions have not been able help in controlling the situation.

As of January 20, Karnataka has 2,93,231 active cases of which 2.86 lakh persons are under home isolation. The number of people hospitalised is 5,344, of whom 340 are in intensive care units (ICUs) and 127 are on ventilators.

Barring Bengaluru, Covid infection cases are on the surge in Dakshina Kannada, Udupi, Mysuru, Tumakuru and Hassan districts.

The positivity rate in the State is as high as 19.94% while it is 8% among children and 16.57% among adults. The average infection rate is doubling every three days and each infected person is found to be spreading to an average of 2.6 persons.

The meeting decided to withdraw the weekend lockdown in order to protect lives and livelihood. However, the situation will be reviewed next week and a decision on the restrictions will be taken based on the rate of hospitalisation, said an official press release after the Chief Minister’s review meeting.