BBMP chief tells people to follow Covid-appropriate behaviour

Bengaluru: Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) Chief Commissioner, Tushar Girinath, on Wednesday said that the average number of cases during the last week was around 226. "Although there is nothing to worry about, the rate of transmission is higher when it comes to the latest variant of Covid-19."

"As the symptoms are not severe, individuals are recovering at a much quicker pace. It is important to follow the preventive measures to reduce the rate of transmission. Masks are mandatory at all public places and BBMP marshalls will be tasked to implement the rule. However, we will not impose any penalty. Nevertheless, if people fail to follow the mask mandate or any Covid-appropriate behaviour, we will be left with no choice other than imposing a penalty," he says.

The civic body has also decided to increase daily testing from 16,000 per day to 20,000 in order to detect the number of Covid-19 cases. The BBMP has also directed the marshalls to educate the public on the importance of wearing masks in public places like shopping malls, theatres, railway stations and so on. They are also gearing up to spread the word on various social media platforms to ensure the safety of individuals.

"Following Covid-appropriate behaviour is compulsory. The BBMP Chief Commissioner has directed zonal commissioners to submit a report on ILI (Influenza Like Illness) and SARI (Severe Acute Respiratory Illness) cases detected at private hospitals," BBMP Special Commissioner (Solid Waste Management), Harish Kumar said on Wednesday.

Meanwhile, Karnataka added 348 new cases of Covid-19 on Wednesday, according to the State Health department statement. Of them 339 were reported in Bengaluru and no new deaths were reported.