Authorities in Bengaluru have been struggling to bring down the progressive rise in new coronavirus cases
Corrugated metal sheets that blocked the doorways to two apartments in Bengaluru with COVID-19 cases, sealing off residents inside their homes without a thought for emergencies, were taken down on Thursday evening after the move triggered an outcry. The commissioner of the city's civic body Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) also issued an apology.
According to reports, workers of the municipal corporation had sealed the doors of the two flats near Domlur where a woman with two children and an elderly couple live.
Following backlash over the incident, BBMP Commissioner N Manjunatha Prasad said he had ensured that the barricades were taken down immediately and apologised over the "over-enthusiasm of local staff".
Authorities in Bengaluru have been struggling to bring down the progressive rise in new coronavirus cases in the city which ended a week-long lockdown on Tuesday. There will be no further coronavirus lockdown, outside of containment zones, in the city or the state,Chief Minister BS Yediyurappa has said.
The Chief Minister also appealed for cooperation from residents and urged people over the age of 55 - considered by medical experts to be at high risk of contracting the virus - to stay indoors.
Karnataka on Thursday recorded its biggest single-day surge in COVID-19 cases of over 5,000 and 97 related fatalities, taking the total number of people who tested
positive for the coronavirus to 80,863, the health department said.
The day also saw a record 2,071 patients getting discharged after recovery. Out of 5,030 new cases reported, 2,207 cases
were from Bengaluru Urban alone.
The rising number of cases in Bengaluru has put pressure on the medical infrastructure in the city, with a lack of hospital beds and ambulances to transport patients the most visible problems.