As Karnataka continued to witness a steep rise in COVID-19 cases, Karnataka Health Minister on Wednesday said that only god can save the people of the state from the coronavirus pandemic.
"Only god has to save us from the virus. However, people should be made aware of the infection so that they wear masks and maintain physical distancing," state health minister B Sriramulu told reporters in Chitradurga, 205 km northwest of Bengaluru.
Noting that the infection does not differentiate between the rich, poor, police, doctors, politicians or legislators, Sriramulu said the communicable disease could rise to an alarming level in the coming two months, as the cases were rising daily across the world.
"Who can control coronavirus? In the present situation, only god has to save us. The people should become aware of its (the virus's) consequences. If we have made mistakes, we are ready to face punishment for them," said Sriramulu, who is the ruling BJP's legislator from the Molakalmuru reserved assembly segment in the district.
Refuting the opposition Congress's charge that the cases were rising in the state due to negligence by ministers, officials and legislators, Sriramulu said Karnataka was performing better than other states, till the cases began to steadily increase since the lockdown was eased across the country and added that people were moving in violation of the guidelines.
A record 3,176 cases were reported from across the southern state on Wednesday, taking the COVID-19 tally to 47,253 cases in the state. Karnataka now has 27,853 active cases and 18,466 have been discharged. 928 people succumbed to the virus till date, with Karnataka recording 87 deaths in the last 24 hours.
On Wednesday, 1,975 positive cases were recorded in Bengaluru, which is under a lockdown from 8 pm on July 15 to 5 am on July 22. Bengaluru now has 22,944 total cases of COVID-19, including 17,051 active cases. 5,455 have been discharged so far, with 463 recovering on Wednesday. 437 people in Bengaluru have died of the infection, with 60 deaths recorded in the city in the last 24 hours.