Bellandur & HSR Layout recording consistently high incidents of COVID-19

By Anuksha Dey

Bengaluru currently has 24,600 active covid positive cases. Most cases detected in the last 10 days are concentrated in Bengaluru South (20%), followed by East (16%) and West (16%), according to the Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP). At the ward level, Bellandur, HSR Layout, Shanthala Nagar, RR Nagar, Doddanekundi and Horamavu have shown a consistently high number of Covid cases in the last one month. One BBMP official said the high incidence could be because of the higher concentration of apartments in these areas.

While BBMP does not reveal the total number of cases per ward, it mentions the top 10 wards with the highest number of covid cases in every bulletin. For over a month, we found that Bellandur made it to the list every single day, while Shanthala Nagar, HSR Layout and RR Nagar were mentioned amongst the top ten Covid positive zones around 30 times in the month. 

Possible reasons for consistently high numbers

“I don’t know if any special measures are being taken but whatever government rules have been set are being followed,” Dr Savitha SK, deputy health officer of BBMP told Residents Watch, implying that she wasn’t aware why this was the case. However, HSR Layout ward health inspector Vinod G told us that these are all wards with a high number of apartments. 

HSR Layout resident and civic activist Lalithamba BV explained that it is harder to maintain isolation and distancing when apartment clusters are present as apartments often share the same maids and maintenance staff. “We are the people who are causing the disease but it is getting transmitted through them,” she says. 

“Bellandur is the place where more tests are happening, so numbers are naturally high,” reasons Amaresh Lakshmi Narayana, a Corona warrior and part of BBMP’s disaster management team. However, he explains that being an IT hub puts Bellandur at a higher risk. “Many people are coming back to Bellandur after their exams and many migrant labourers have also returned to the area… people are travelling without proper isolation. There are many positive cases and no one wants to report.”

Shanthala Nagar which contains the city’s commercial hub, as well as MG Road and Brigade Road, the hubs for shopping, and cafe hopping too naturally has a high number of Covid cases. Raja Rajeshwari Nagar witnessed a spike last month. Dr B Vijayendra, chief health officer, BBMP, told the media that this could be ascribed to the large number of functions and events that were held in South Bengaluru and RR Nagar as well as the floating population in the two zones.

Horamavu, which is well connected to Manyata Tech Park and International Tech Park, too, has a large number of apartment clusters making it hard to control Covid cases. Doddanekundi, another residential cum commercial area close to Whitefield, suffers from similar problems. 

The way forward

“People in HSR Layout are walking without masks and spitting everywhere,” says Lalithamba. “The government has introduced night curfew, but most people are at home at night anyway, so this is not enough. Though there is no reason to panic, people have to take Covid more seriously and consider if it is essential to step out of their houses.”

According to BBMP, 95613 tests were conducted in Bengaluru since January 2021. However, Amaresh points out that the majority of people who test positive are kept in home isolation. “We are not sure if they are following the home isolation guidelines properly,” he says. “The primary contacts are moving around freely without any restrictions. Even the government order is not clear on the protocols to be followed by the primary contacts. More tests have to be done, and showing test results should be made mandatory before entering any social setting.”