"'Yes' Today, 'No' The Day After": Karnataka's Flip-Flop On Covid Measures

Karnataka - the third worst-affected state - reported over 4,500 cases and 15 deaths on Sunday, taking the active caseload up to nearly 40,000 and deaths to over 12,600

As a second wave of COVID-19 hits Karnataka, the state government finds itself in a difficult space - between saving lives or livelihoods. There have been several decisions taken with one of these two in mind, only for them to be swiftly reversed in a series of U-turns by the authorities. First it was a declaration that schools would stay open despite the spike in new cases. Chief Minister BS Yediyurappa made that announcement on March 29 . He suggested doing so would force stakeholders - parents, children, teachers and officials - to practice better Covid hygiene. Three days later, on April 1, offline classes (those requiring students to go to schools) for Classes 6 to 9 in Bengaluru (Urban) were suspended, "keeping in view the increasing COVID cases". Last week it was decided that gyms would be closed - a decision that left owners worried, and demanding either financial compensation or being allowed to operate at 50 per cent capacity.