Cops to get stricter as Bengaluru hits new high in Covid-19 cases

Bengaluru hit another grim milestone on Sunday with 4,217 fresh Covid-19 cases. Officials are now banking on police to crack down on the blatant disregard for social distancing rules, at a time when experts warn that the worst is yet to come.

The statewide figures on Sunday were equally grim with 9,543 cases — the highest in 10 days. Several districts appear to be catching up to where Bengaluru was just weeks ago. Mysuru reported 952 new cases on Sunday which hearkens back to Bengaluru Urban on July 3 when the BBMP revealed 994 new cases. Dakshina Kannada, which reported 460 cases on Sunday, is approaching the state of Bengaluru in June end.

Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) administrator Gaurav Gupta said the lack of discipline among the general public was foiling measures to contain the outbreak. “All measures to curb the disease are in place, from contact tracing to hospital beds, but the number of cases is going up because people are not taking care,” he said.

A senior BBMP official said social distancing violations have hit an all-time high. “The use of masks has fallen dramatically as more people move around on the streets,” said Dr Vijendra Bilaguli, Chief Health Officer, BBMP.

The situation has prompted Chief Secretary T M Vijay Bhaskar to ask that violators be fined more stringently, sources said. Consequently, the BBMP said that police will now be empowered to fine violators independent of the Palike.

BBMP Chief Marshal Officer Rajbir Singh said the enforcement, including levying of fines, has dropped significantly after the 192 marshals were assigned to deal with garbage black spots in the wake of Unlock 4.0.

D Randeep, Special Commissioner, BBMP, said each police station will be provided with a device to fine violators, starting from this week. Fines being levied had dropped from a peak of 3,232 on June 30 to zero on August 31, a day before Unlock 4.0. Since then, cases have increased.