Bengaluru's Covid test positivity rate fell below 5 per cent for the first time in months, which could possibly trigger the initiation of graded district unlock protocol.
On Monday, as per the war room at the Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP), the city’s seven-day average test positivity rate hit 4.91 per cent, which is below the maximum of 5 per cent established by the central government as required criteria to unlock a district.
BBMP Chief Commissioner Gaurav Gupta said reaching the milestone prompted more responsibilities for civic authorities as people would likely anticipate a relaxation of the lockdown restrictions.
“However, just because the test positivity rate is below 5 per cent that does not mean we can open up tomorrow. It is inevitable that unlocking will happen, but many other conditions also have to be taken into account before a graded unlock can begin. At a point, the government will take the call and issue directions,” Gupta said, adding that the unlock, when it transpires, may be extended over five phases.
Well-known virologist Dr V Ravi, formerly of Nimhans and a member of the Technical Advisory Committee (TAC) on Covid-19 in the state, said the group has not yet been consulted on unlocking. “The centre’s 5 per cent test positivity rate is only a suggestion,” he said, adding the test positivity rate often varies.
For Gupta, unlocking is not the key issue. “The important matter now is that people must remain vigilant and be aware that in a period of increased mobility they must avoid inadvertently passing on the virus to a new set of people,” he said, adding that substantial hard work had been done by medical professionals, officers and others to bring the numbers under control.
“We need to be vigilant to ensure that numbers do not rise again,” he said.
One point of concern is a massive influx of returnees to the city from other districts, who could potentially be carriers of the virus and trigger a “bump” in case numbers. “These people must be tested,” Dr Ravi said. “We will get a clearer picture about their impact on case numbers in seven days.”
The BBMP chief commissioner said current testing numbers (which average about 56,000 tests per day) would continue and added that medical infrastructure would not be dismantled.
“However, some of the medical and other staff may be downsized,” he said.