The Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) decided to seal down more areas near the Sri Krishna Rajendra market – more commonly known as KR market – and Kalasipalyam market area in Bengaluru due to the rising number of COVID-19 cases.
In an order issued on Wednesday, BBMP said that the area enclosed by the following places will be sealed: Town Hall Circle, JC Road, AM Road, Kalasipalyam Main Road, KR Market Junction, Service Road, Tharagupet Road (24 main road), Tipu Sultan Palace road, Tharagupet road (4 Main Road), Bhashyam Road, Srinivas Mandiram Road, Kilari Road, Anjaneya Temple Street, Sunkalpet Road, and SJP Road.
Within this perimeter, all shops and establishments in the KR Market and Kalasipalyam Market will remain closed. In addition, commercial establishments of all kinds, hotels, roadside vendors, liquor shops and even local shops will have to halt operations. The flower market and religious places in the area will also be shut.
The restrictions will not apply for establishments selling essential supplies like milk, newspapers, vegetables, groceries, bread products, meat, etc., along with the local fair price shops and ration shops. The exemption also applies to Secondary School Leaving Certificate (SSLC) exam centres, hospitals, medical establishments, clinics respectively. Class 10 board exams in the state are set to begin from Thursday.
The areas sealed off are close to Majestic in Bengaluru, where the city's major bus and railway station are located.
Loudspeakers will make announcements of the BBMP's decision for sealing down the designated areas, and pamphlets and posters will also be distributed to create awareness about physical distancing and symptoms of COVID-19.
BBMP will conduct contact tracing exercises, surveillance of ILI and SARI patients in the sealed area.
The orders came on the day that Bengaluru reported 173 new coronavirus patients, bringing the total active cases in the city to 1,124. A total of 1,678 have tested coronavirus positive in the city till date. The cases reported on Wednesday included 73 patients with no contact or travel history. 71 patients had symptoms of Influenza Like Illness (ILI) while two others reported with symptoms of Severe Acute Respiratory Infection (SARI). Patients undergoing treatment in Bengaluru’s account for almost 30% of the total 3,799 active cases in Karnataka.