BBMP to retain Covid care centres with fewer beds

Making a U-turn less than two weeks after deciding to close the Covid Care Centres (CCCs), the Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) on Wednesday said it would retain some of these units as well as the physical triage centres although new coronavirus infections have significantly dropped in the city.

Speaking to news reporters on Wednesday, BBMP Chief Commissioner Gaurav Gupta said the centres would continue to function but a few beds would be removed.

"We will reduce the number of beds at CCCs as cases have dropped in Bengaluru. But we will not dismantle the centres. The same applies to triaging centres," Gupta explained.

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Sarfaraz Khan, the BBMP joint commissioner in charge of the Covid care centres, said the manpower would be diverted to hospitals that needed them.

"Depending on the daily caseload, we will position them and commence operations at these centres quickly," he added.

Over the last few months, the BBMP opened 49 Covid Care Centres with nearly 2,088 beds, besides physical triage centres to help patients who couldn't isolate themselves at home or need moderate forms of medical assistance. But their occupancy wasn't more than 30%.