Thirteen percent of the total 2,089 COVID-19 cases reported in Karnataka are from Bengaluru. The city’s share in the total reported cases in the State has fallen since the imposition of the lockdown on March 24. While initially, COVID-19 cases were reported only in Bengaluru, now, cases have been reported in all districts of the State barring Chamarajnagar.
The civic administration attributes this to contribution of the Residents’ Welfare Associations in monitoring the situation, quick action on the part of agencies, the sealing of containment zones and predictive modelling.
According to data provided by the BBMP COVID-19 war room bulletin, on March 24 (when the first lockdown began), 62% of the total 51 cases reported in the State were from BBMP areas. As of Sunday, the percentage of cases from Bengaluru dropped noticeably.
B.H. Anil Kumar, BBMP Commissioner, said that initially there was a spike in the number of cases as several cases were reported from three clusters in the city - Padarayanapura, Hogasandra and Shivajinagar. “We ensured that the spread of the infection was limited to the containment zones. We also carefully monitored the movement of people in these areas and made sure they do not venture out their homes. In addition, we conducted door-to-door surveys and tested random samples in containment areas,” he said.
He also commended RWAs for their diligence in ensuring that residents followed rules. “They are the eyes and ears of the civic body. They alerted us if anyone who was supposed to be in home quarantine violated the rules,” Mr. Kumar added.
Hephsiba Rani Korlapati, Special Officer, BBMP COVID-19 War Room, said BBMP has been consistently working on planning, preparedness, coordination and implementation to keep the numbers low. “Data analysis with a scientific approach, predictive modelling in collaboration with multiple stakeholders has definitely helped us,” she said.
Remaining vigilant
However, agencies are not letting their guard down. With relaxation in the lockdown and economic activities resuming in Lockdown 4.0, Mr. Kumar says that there could be an increase in the number of cases as people from other States return to Bengaluru. “While we should not worry about the number of positive cases going up, we should strive to ensure that the fatality rate is zero or near zero,” he said.
