63 new cases puts Karnataka in sight of 1000, thanks to returnees from other states

Bengaluru: After a few weeks of lying low, the coronavirus is now gathering speed in Karnataka with 63 positives recorded on Tuesday, taking the state's total to 925.

Health officials are making a case that the spurt seen in the past few days is on account of easing the lockdown in the green and orange zones which allowed the return of people from other states.

Forty-one of the 63 fresh Covid-19 positive cases recorded on Tuesday have been attributed to people coming in Gujarat, Maharashtra, Odisha and Chennai.

And of these 41, some 32 returned after attending a Tablighi Jamat conference at Ahmedabad, while six returned from Maharashtra, two from Orissa and one from Chennai. They all tested Covid-19 positive after returning.

It's now certain that Karnataka will cross the 1000 mark this week, after seeming, a fortnight ago, to have handled the pandemic well enough to avoid the fate that has befallen Maharashtra.

In the past three days, the state has recorded 109 cases, bringing hitherto corona-free districts like Kolar, Chitradurga, Shivamogga and Hassan into the red zone. On Tuesday, Bagalkot has 15 cases, Davangere 12, Dharwad 9, Kolar and Hassan 5 each, Bangalore 4, and Gadag 3.

Of the 4 fresh cases reported in Bengaluru, three are from the troubled containment zone of Padarayanapura. The fourth is a case Mangammanapalya, a goods vehicle driver. Health officials have not yet traced the source of his infection. They are recording an hour-by-hour movement history of the driver.