Special train passengers protest quarantine

There was chaos as about 140 passengers who arrived in the first special train from New Delhi refused to check themselves into quarantine facilities in hotels. Many insisted that they should be allowed to self-quarantine at home, but officials refused. After a few hours, all passengers barring 19 agreed to the terms. The remaining 19 were sent back in the Bengaluru-Delhi train that left on Thursday.

In all, 507 passengers opted for institutional quarantine of whom 203 availed free government facilities. The rest are in hotels identified by the BBMP, for which the passengers agreed to pay the cost.

The state had arranged 15 BMTC (Bangalore Metropolitan Transport Corporation) buses to take passengers to the quarantine centres located around the railway station. Cost of the bus ticket was Rs 50. Ravi, a college student, said it was shocking to pay Rs 50 to travel hardly one km. The travellers were also told to download three mobile apps – Quarantine Watch, Apthamitra, and Aarogya Setu.

Source: The Hindu | Bangalore Mirror

Bus services may resume with safety rules

As Lockdown 3 comes to an end on Sunday, bus services will likely resume. BMTC Managing Director C Shikha said a comprehensive protocol has been adopted to operate the buses, subject to final directions from the government.

BMTC employees will undergo health check-ups before reporting to duty. Depots will have infrared thermometers to test the crew. Buses will be disinfected daily, and the bus crew given masks, gloves and hand sanitisers. A bus with all its seats occupied will not allow more people to board.

Currently, bus services are provided for essential services and to ferry migrant workers to designated railway stations. On Tuesday, BMTC carried out medical tests on employees who had gone to their hometowns before the lockdown. Companies and industrial units have already booked 127 BMTC buses on contract basis to ferry their employees; negotiations are on for 300 more.

Source: Deccan Herald | The Hindu

13 COVID-19 cases in a day

On Friday, 13 cases were reported, of which 11 are secondary contacts of a housekeeping staff at Shifa Hospital, Queen’s Road, whereas the other two are contacts of another patient. Shifa Hospital is one of the first responder hospitals.

Meanwhile, 21 residents of Mangammanapalya, adjacent to the Hongasandra cluster, were relieved as they tested negative for COVID-19.

Two doctors were booked for not reporting a COVID-19 case to the Health Department. A contractor was also booked for providing labourers with accommodation that did not conform to social distancing norms. One of the labourers had contracted COVID-19 and spread it to others.

Source: Deccan Herald

Third economic package for Rs 512 crore

Chief Minister B S Yediyurappa announced a third economic package worth Rs 512 crore on Friday for maize farmers and ASHA workers. The government will give a compensation of Rs 5,000 each to about 10 lakh farmers and Rs 3,000 each as an incentive to 40,250 ASHA workers. While compensation to maize farmers will cost Rs 500 crore to state exchequer, the incentive for ASHA workers will be worth Rs 12.5 crore.

Source: Deccan Herald

Workers protest, allege they were locked up

Over 300 workers from West Bengal and Rajasthan staged a snap protest on Monday, demanding that they be allowed to go home. They alleged that they had been locked up in a construction camp at Doddabanahalli to prevent them from leaving. They accused the management of confining them in the camp throughout lockdown and of not taking care of their basic needs.

Kadugodi police rushed to the spot and pacified them with offers to make necessary travel arrangements. They also assured the workers that they would ask the company to help them out.

Source: The Hindu

Bicycle Mayor seeks cycle lane on ORR

Bengaluru’s Bicycle Mayor Sathya Sankaran has written to Police Commissioner Bhaskar Rao requesting dedicated cycle pathways on important corridors like the Outer Ring Road. He has also urged the Commissioner to make 193 roads across the city free from vehicles and allow only pedestrians and cycles for at least three months.

Sankaran said that crowded areas and roads including DVG Road, Cunningham Road, Malleswaram 8th Cross and parts of Gandhinagar should be blocked so that people can walk or cycle. These measures would de-congest roads and help people maintain social distancing, he said.

Source: The Hindu

Unauthorised vending at Kalasipalya market cleared

Fruit, vegetable and flower vendors at Kalasipalya market were evicted by the BBMP and the police early Wednesday morning following complaints that they were not following social distancing norms. The market had been shut during lockdown. Vendors protested, and additional police personnel were deployed to maintain law and order.

Source: The Hindu