BBMP Mayor Goutham Kumar
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Even as Bengaluru's lockdown progresses, things aren't looking optimistic for the city. The Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) mayor Goutham Kumar has said that the city needs more time to tackle the rise in Covid-19 cases. The BBMP has therefore proposed to the CM that the lockdown be extended by one week.

Bengaluru has reported over 25,000 cases of Covid-19 on Friday, despite government measures to tackle the spread of the virus, the city is still witnessing a rise. The proposal for a lockdown extension comes as the CM has been continuously asserting that there won't be one.

To lockdown or not to lockdown?

Bengaluru's fight against the pandemic which seemed to be under control less than a month ago is now looking futile. With a huge rise in cases, the city is buckling under the pressure of COVID-19. Authorities have been working hard at solutions, even as criticism flows in from all quarters.

The BBMP has now put in a proposal for a lockdown extension. The BBMP mayor Goutham Kumar said to news agency ANI, "It will be better if we get more time to tackle COVID-19 cases, we wish for the extension lockdown of lockdown for one more week. We have given the proposal to government."

The comment has come as a shock to residents of the city, especially when the CM in the past few days has firmly said that there will be no lockdown extension. For many in Bengaluru, their life under lockdown now remains in limbo.  

engaluru: Sanitation staff busy cleaning and disinfecting Bangalore City railway station during the extended nationwide lockdown imposed to mitigate the spread of coronavirus, on May 11, 2020.
Bengaluru: Sanitation staff busy cleaning and disinfecting Bangalore City railway station during the extended nationwide lockdown imposed to mitigate the spread of coronavirus, on May 11, 2020.

The idea behind the extended lockdown is to break the chain. So a lockdown of 14 days would help. BBMP Commissioner BH Anil Kumar had earlier said that to break the chain, 14 days would be needed. 

So far BBMP has been witnessing a difficult task in combatting the virus that has been spreading fast in Bengaluru. In the last 24 hours, there have been 70 deaths despite the complete lockdown in the city which was meant to curb people's movement and help contain the spread of the virus for a 7-day period from 8 PM 14th July to 5 AM on 22nd July. 

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