Karnataka On Watch, Reworks Strategy As Covid Spreads To Rural Districts

The bulk of the new Covid cases are now being reported from the rural districts in Karnataka.

In Karnataka, one of the worst-hit states in the second COVID-19 wave, capital Bengaluru used to make up the bulk of newly reported cases. Now, the IT hub accounts for less than half of the new cases as the virus makes its ingress into the rural areas. A month ago, out of 15,785 new cases in the state, Bengaluru accounted for 9,618 or almost 61 per cent. Contrast it with Monday's figures, out of 38,603 new cases, 13,383 or 34.6 per cent were from Bengaluru. Deputy Commissioners from Karnataka's most affected districts took part in a videoconference with Prime Minister Narendra Modi this morning. "The Prime Minister spoke to the DCs and said the focus is on the villages. PM Modi said the villages should use villagers' strength and people's representatives. The DCs, said the PM, should work as field commanders," Basavaraj Bommai, the state Home Minister, told NDTV after the meet.