Bengaluru: Karnataka today reported 41 new Covid-19 positive cases taking the total to 794. Apart from Davanagere, the big worry for the government is Bengaluru Urban which reported 22 new cases in the last six days since the lockdown restrictions were eased.
The government has identified two big clusters of cases in the city -- Hongasandra and Padarayanapura -- with a total of 36 and 40 active cases reported respectively from these two wards so far.
In Padarayanapura, where Tablighi Jamaat meet returnees had come, three more cases were reported on Saturday.
Medical Education Minister Dr K Sudhakar directed the Health Department to take swab samples of all senior citizens in Padarayanapura even as the area witnessed scant respect for lockdown restrictions. People were seen moving about freely without masks or social distancing despite the area being declared a containment zone. Same is the case in Hongasandra.
Apart from a spike in Covid cases, Bengaluru is witnessing another problem -- a surge in alcohol-related murders, attempted murders and assault cases.
Seven people have been murdered within the last six days in cases linked to violence due to alcohol consumption. Police say that there have been 69 cases of assault and attempted murder in the city in the last six days that were linked to liquor-induced violence.
There had not been a single murder reported in Bengaluru during the lockdown period when there was a liquor ban.
Meanwhile, Karnataka government is mulling major labour policy changes, primarily to increase overtime working hours. This is in line with what the Uttar Pradesh and the Madhya Pradesh governments did through ordinances exempting industries from complying with most of the labour laws.
Commissioner of the Labour Department, Captain Manivannan, held a meeting with the Confederation of Indian Industries’ (CII) Karnataka wing on Saturday and said, “Karnataka can do better than UP with its own brand of reforms.”
He also said that the government is mulling over increasing work hours of employees.
The change in norms is being termed as a move to drive more investment to “revive the economy”.
