RT-PCR for travellers, masks for children above 3 must in Bengaluru residential apartments

With a steady increase in the number of Covid cases in Bengaluru, the civic body has again imposed some restriction on residential societies as these make up 50 per cent of the city's containment zones.

As over 500 children and teenagers tested Covid positive between August 1 and 11 in Bengaluru, the civic authorities of the city have issued a fresh guideline for residential societies and apartments. Children above 3 years of age must wear masks at all times while they are in open areas or playing in the parks of housing societies. The fresh guidelines, issued by the Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike in the wake of a small rise in the number of Covid cases in Karnataka and Bengaluru, are aimed at keeping a check on the situation in apartments as 50 per cent of the city's containment zones are apartment complexes.

Bengaluru lockdown: Community halls, clubhouses and other common closed places in societies will remain closed, the BBMP has said. 

While negative RT-PCR is mandatory to enter Karnataka for travellers from Kerala, the new guideline says the resident welfare associations must check for negative RT-PCR tests for apartment residents coming from any other state. If they do not have one, then they will have to undergo the test and until the results come, they will have to remain in home quarantine.

Residents with pets are allowed to walk them in the open space but following Covid norms. Gymnasiums of complexes will operate at 50 per cent capacity, the new rule said. Community halls, clubhouses and other common closed places in societies will remain closed. Courier and delivery services will not be allowed inside the complexes while emergency and necessary services such as medical, plumbing, electrical, cooking gas, water supply etc will be allowed, the directive said.

Bengaluru on Friday reported 425 fresh infections and five deaths. The city has been seeing a steady increase in the number of Covid infections since the last week of July. The number of patients between the age of 0 to 19 years has become a cause of concern as it is believed that children will be more susceptible to a possible Covid third wave. But BBMP officials said the surge is not huge in August.