After the sudden surge in COVID cases across the city, the Bengaluru civic authorities have sounded a high alert after 10 cases of coronavirus were found at the SJR Watermark Apartments.

Karnataka has earned the dubious distinction of becoming the next worst-hit state after Maharashtra and Kerala. Karnataka recorded 383 new cases of COVID-19 and four related fatalities on Tuesday, 23 February - taking the total number of infections to 9,48,849 and the death toll to 12,303. 

Four deaths reported on Tuesday were from Bengaluru Urban. Fresh cases were reported from Bengaluru Urban (240), Mysuru 26), Shivamogga 18), Dakshina Kannada (17), Tumakuru, and Udupi (12 each), Belagavi (10), with fewer cases in other districts. Bengaluru Urban district tops the list of positive cases, with a total of 4,04,183.

A COVID alert is now in place in Bengaluru after ten people were found Covid-19 positive at SJR Watermark Apartments comprising nine blocks housing 1,500 people in the last one week alone.

The Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike BBMP) Commissioner N Manjunatha Prasad has issued an official statement to the effect. Six contagious blocks have been declared as containment zone by the BBMP and nine mobile teams were deployed. The team took 500 RT-PCR samples and the result is awaited soon.

Calling it a COVID-19 War Room Bulletin, N Manjunatha Prasad tweeted details of statistics in Kannada and English:

BBMP
Covid 19 War Room Bulletin
23-02-2021
Total infected cases: 404183
Total Healed: 395344
Total death cases: 4459
The last 24 hours
Total infected cases: 240
Total Healed: 240
Total death cases: 04 

This follows the earlier discovery of the biggest coronavirus hotspot in the Karnataka state capital in recent times - almost a year after the COVID-1 pandemic arrived here. A coronavirus hotspot was tracked down after 103 people were found infected. They were home quarantined as a majority of them were young and asymptomatic.

The renewed surge in Covid-19 cases in Karnataka’s neighbouring states of Kerala and Maharashtra have made BBMP swing into action. Karnataka government realises that continued vigilance and comprehensive monitoring of precautionary and remedial measures are the need of the hour to insulate Bengaluru from another spike in infections and deaths.

Here are the measures and restrictions in place in Bengaluru and Karnataka in general:

The state government has restricted entry to only those with COVID-19 negative certificates.

Karnataka officials at the borders seek a COVID-19 negative certificate from new arrivals to the state.

The test certificate should be of an RT-PCR test taken 72 hours prior to their cross-over time. 

BBMP warns that if a cluster of five or more people are identified in places such as hostels and educational institutions, those places will be declared ‘contamination zones’.

Any change in the status of such containment zones will happen only after additional steps such as retesting after seven days.

New arrivals in Karnataka from Kerala including those checking into hotels, resorts, hostels, home stays, and dormitories will have to compulsorily produce a negative RT-PCR certificate that is not older than 72 hours.

In colleges and schools where classes have begun, random and systematic checks will be undertaken.

Any contact with clinical symptoms within 14 days of the last exposure/contact with the primary case(s) should be considered a suspected case, and therefore managed according to Government of Karnataka protocols.

Contacts who are found to be infected with SARS-CoV-2 should be reclassified as cases and followed up as cases. RWAs and other community members serve to bridge the gap between the community and the health system in detecting cases or clusters as early as possible.

Measures to avoid super-spreaders are being taken up. Meetings to be scheduled immediately with the hoteliers’ association, clubs, cinema halls, and event organisers to ensure that strict Covid-appropriate behaviour is maintained and protocols are followed at their respective organisations or events.

Vaccination drive continues:
Meanwhile, 1.54, 831 healthcare workers in Karnataka take a second dose of the COVID vaccine so far, the state health department said.

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