COVID-19: Bengaluru's Malleshwaram declared containment zone after a positive case

In a positive turn of events amidst COVID-19 crisis and a big relief to the people in South and Eastern Bengaluru, the Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) on Thursday de-contained three wards after these areas reported no fresh COVID-19 positive cases in the last 14-days. However, the civic body added Malleshwaram (Ward 45) to the list of containment zones and thus taking the total tally of Containment zones to 21 in BBMP limits.

The BBMP officials relaxed containment rules in Hosahalli (Ward 124) and Karesandra (166) from South Bengaluru and Ramaswamy Palya (62) in East Bengaluru. Speaking to DH, BH Anil Kumar, Commissioner, BBMP said, “As there were no fresh COVID-19 cases from these areas in the last 14-days, these wards have been de-contained and dropped from the list of containment zones.”

Similarly, the BBMP had declared the Bapujinagar ward de-contained on Wednesday and removed from the list of containment zones. If luck favours and no fresh cases of COVID-19 are reported from Pulikeshi Nagar in East Bengaluru and Sudhama Nagar in South Bengaluru, they will also likely to be dropped from the list of Containment zones within Bengaluru city by Saturday.

However, on the flip side, the BBMP officials added Malleshwaram (ward 45) to the list of containment zones on Thursday following a positive COVID-19 patient in the form of 49-year-old female who had Influenza-like Illness (ILI). The patient has been moved to designated hospital in Bengaluru.

Amidst the exercise of adding and deleting wards from the list of containment zones, the BBMP is still awaiting a reply from the Union Home Ministry over zonal classification of Bengaluru city. Hoping to reboot the economy in those wards that are free from COVID-19 cases, the BBMP officials through the Chief Secretary had written to the centre to revise the guidelines at least for Bengaluru. Anil Kumar said, “We are yet to receive a response from the centre for our correspondence. Once the Centre replies on our request, we will take a call on categorizing Bengaluru into different zones as per the COVID-19 cases.”