Karnataka lockdown news: This is what EXPERTS feel about lockdown extension

As the state of Karnataka remains one of the worst-hit states by the COVID-19 pandemic, the current lockdown will continue beyond June 7 if there is the number of active cases doesn't decrease, a leading portal reported quoting experts as saying.

On May 26, the state reported 26,811 new cases of COVID-19 and 530 deaths. The tally of the total number of infections in the state has reached 24,99,784. The positivity rate stood at 17.59 per cent and the case fatality rate (CFR) was at 1.96 per cent as reported by the health department.

Professor Sashikumar Ganesan, Chairman, Department of Computational and Data Sciences at the IISc said that the number of positive cases in the state is worse than what was predicted in the worst-case scenario that is without any lockdown. 

Prof Ganesan, in a conversation with Deccan Herald, said that the state in order to contain the spread of the virus needs to continue with the lockdown. “The numbers suggest that something has gone wrong with the lockdown and consequently the government should not think of lifting the restrictions. The next three to four days are crucial to making this determination,” the portal quoted him as saying.

Dr Giridhara R Babu, a TAC member and Professor of Epidemiology at the Public Health Foundation of India, presenting similar views said that for effective execution of a lockdown the containment measurements should be strong. 

“In the initial part of the lockdown, there were many relaxations. The four-hour curfew window every morning results in crowds in public spaces. There is no proportionate increase in the testing being done overall including such potential super-spreaders sites. A single person infected can potentially spread it to family members and other contacts resulting in sustained transmission,” Deccan Herald quoted the TAC member as saying.