Bengaluru: With hundreds of people exiting Bengaluru a day before Sunday curfew fearing a second lockdown as the number of COVID-19 cases continued to increase, the Karnataka government on Sunday asked people to remain calm, not harbour apprehensions and urged them to continue living in the city.

“We are seeing reports that a lot of people are trying to leave the city fearing another lockdown. The CM has already assured the State there will not be a lockdown and there isn’t one,” Home Minister Basavaraj Bommai said in a video message.

The Minister said any decision of the people to return home would be detrimental to the State’s safety as Karnataka’s hinterlands have so far remained virus-free. “Stay where you are and continue with daily routines,” he said. Bommai said the Government was planning to have as many as 500 ambulances for Bengaluru alone to effectively manage the COVID crisis.