Belagavi: Reacting to Karnataka Revenue Minister R Ashok's statement on Covid lockdown, Karnataka Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai on Sunday said his government does not wish to impose Covid lockdown, but clamp strict measures with an aim to push forward the economy.
"Look, he (Revenue Minister R Ashok) has not made any categorical statement, but a presumptuous one. He said if people do not strictly follow the guidelines, then lockdown could be an option, which means the same thing I am saying - the government is not in favor of Covid lockdown, but wants to impose strict guidelines with an aim to push the economy forward," he told reporters here.
Earlier in the day, Ashok had said that the government may impose Covid lockdown if people violate Covid guidelines amidst fears of a third wave looming large.
He said the government will issue fresh guidelines based on the Covid situation in Karnataka in the next two to three days. "Covid and Omicron cases are increasing not only in the country, but also in Karnataka. Therefore, the government will issue fresh Covid guidelines based on the Covid situation in Karnataka in the next two to three days," he said.
This step will be taken in the wake of increasing Covid cases and positivity rate being registered in Maharashtra, West Bengal, Tamil Nadu, Delhi, Karnataka and Gujarat.
"Strict measures should be taken in Belagavi because it has borders with Maharashtra where the cases have been increasing. We have already put up 11 checkposts in the neighboring district of Vijayapura. We will have to do the same in Belagavi. No doubt there will be some inconveniencies to the travelers, but steps should be taken in view of people's health in Karnataka," he said.
Bommai said necessary health infrastructure including beds, oxygen, medicines, ICU will be set up to deal with Covid.
Karnataka reported 23 more cases of Omicron on Friday, taking the state's tally to 66. Moreover, the state breached the thousand-mark in the single-day spike in cases as it recorded 1,033 fresh Covid cases yesterday.
The total number of active cases in Karnataka stood at 9,386 of which 7,876 are in Bengaluru. The last time when the state had seen over 1,000 cases in a single day was on September 9 last year when it recorded 1,074 cases.
