HD Kumaraswamy calls for a 20-day lockdown as coronavirus cases surge in Bengaluru

Bengaluru has been facing a sharp increase in Covid-19 cases in the past few days. Seeing as the government has called for a lockdown in certain parts of the city, HD Kumaraswamy earlier today on Tuesday demanded a complete lockdown on Bengaluru. The lockdown the former Chief Minister said should be a 20-day one to contain coronavirus.

HD Kumaraswamy observing the increase in coronavirus cases around the state not only asked for a lockdown to be imposed on the city of Bengaluru but the whole country as well. 

HD Kumaraswamy demands another lockdown

Since Unlock 1.0 began the Karnataka government has been slowly trying to return to normalcy and have been easing lockdown restrictions. However, the cases have been showing an upward trend, which has sent the Government into a defensive mode. 

Yesterday on 22nd June following a high-level meeting with the CM in the state, the decision was taken to send certain parts of Bengaluru — KR Market, VV Puram, Chikpet, Kalassipalya, Siddapura, specifically under lockdown once again, where major markets in the city operate. These areas showed a drastic increase in the number of cases reported.

The Government also called for stricter measures against lockdown violators and have expanded the containment zones from the houses of the sick to the entire street and neighbourhood. The CM also called for caps to be set on private hospital rates of those enlisted with the Government to provide COVID-19 rates, which were announced earlier today.

On Tuesday morning, however, HD Kumaraswamy requested the state government and the central government for a 20-day lockdown to be imposed on Bengaluru. The former Chief Minister said that owing to the sudden rise in cases, instead of putting certain parts of Bengaluru under lockdown, it was better to lock down the entire city to prevent the spread of Coronavirus. He further suggested a nation-wide lockdown in the country. 

About the lockdown, Kumaraswamy said, "The question is, do we passively wait as the country is all set to overtake Brazil?" On the matter of compensation, he said that the Government should provide a minimum compensation of Rs 5,000 to all daily wage workers, cab/auto drivers and weavers. 

He further urged the Government to postpone SSLC exams till October, which is scheduled to take place on 25th June and not play with students' lives. He highlighted the Telangana Government's move in doing so asking the Karnataka State Government to follow a similar route.