Sudden spike in Bengaluru's daily Covid cases worries civic authorities

Gradually returning to normalcy from the severe impact of the second wave, the Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike was shocked to witness an alarming 34 per cent rise in the daily Covid cases on Thursday.

Further, the rise in cases in neighbouring states like Kerala has also left the civic body worried about the possible surge of a third wave.

Alarmed by the sudden shooting up of daily cases, the officials led by BBMP Chief Commissioner Gaurav Gupta held a meeting and resolved to scale up surveillance operations besides intense testing and tracking exercises in containment areas.

On Thursday alone, Bengaluru reported as many as 506 cases compared to Wednesday’s 376 cases.

Read | Karnataka reports 2,052 fresh Covid-19 cases, 34% rise from July 28

“We have noticed that in a few localities, the cases are increasing. I have directed the officials to verify the travel history of these patients, besides tracing their contacts for intense testing.

"Efforts are on to vaccinate more people in such containment localities,” Gupta explained.

Spread in crowded areas

Acknowledging that the infection is spreading through crowded areas, Gupta said: “We have got reports that the infection is spreading through gatherings such as marriages and other functions. The organisers must adhere to the Covid rules. The organisers and guests have to ensure they wear masks and follow social-distancing rules.

"Marshals have been told to be vigilant in and around such events. To prevent any possible outbreak of the epidemic, we need to be proactive and take necessary measures in clusters that report a high number of cases.”

D Randeep, Special Commissioner (Health), BBMP, said that on average, the city is reporting about 400 cases on a daily basis.

“All these days we were tracing 10 to 15 contacts of infected persons. But from now on, we will trace up to 20 contacts,” said Dr B K Vijendra, Chief Health Officer, BBMP.