While Other Metro Cities Crumbled, Bengaluru Has So Far Stood Resilient Against COVID-19
Delhi, Mumbai, Kolkata, Chennai, and Bengaluru are the names that one could instantly associate with when we talk about the biggest cities in India, because of their size, population, job opportunities and much more.?
But during the COVID-19 pandemic, one of them has stood out - Bengaluru.COVID-19 is still mostly an urban problem in India and the majority of the cases are being reported from big cities.?Bengaluru Urban district has so far recorded just 725 COVID-19 cases out of which only 362 are active.And the city is not even among the worst-hit in Karnataka, let alone in the country.?
On Sunday Bengaluru recorded just 42 new COVID-19 cases, unlike Delhi, Mumbai, Chennai and Kolkata where new cases are being reported in hundreds and thousands.And while Chennai is all set to go back to a maximum restriction lockdown and Mumbai and Delhi are struggling with the explosion of new COVID-19 infections, Bengaluru is busy opening up.?
While COIVD-19 case are increasing in Bengaluru too, Chief Minister BS Yediyurappa was quick to reassure people not to worry about increasing numbers of COVID-19 cases, he appealed to them to maintain physical distance and wear masks besides maintaining personal hygiene."Other than those who have come from outside the state and their immediate contacts, no local residents are infected," Yediyurappa said, asking people to maintain calm.?
Though Arvind Kejriwal and Uddhav?Thackeray?have also said that there are no plans for further lockdowns in Delhi and Mumbai, Yediyurappa is the one CM that can say it about Bengaluru with a certain amount of surety.It is also worthwhile to note that Karnataka was among the first states to go into lockdown in March, even before the nationwide lockdown was imposed.?
Karnataka was also one of the states to impose strict quarantine measures for those coming from abroad and later from other states to the point that they even made those under home quarantine upload geotagged selfies every hour to make sure that they do not venture out.
Even now, while most of the states have done away with institutional quarantine for asymptomatic arrivals from other states, Karnataka is still sticking to it, at least for those coming from hotspots like Delhi, Mumbai and Chennai.?
Those entering the state from these cities will have to go into institutional quarantine for 3 days followed by self-isolation at home for eleven days.
Like rest of the country opened up as part of Unlok 1, so did Bengaluru and there are some serious talks about resuming offices, which the majority in other metros are still reluctant to do.
