Week-long lockdown: People remain indoors in Bengaluru and other districts
Bengaluru: Deserted roads and sparse public movement were witnessed on Wednesday in the city where a week-long lockdown has been enforced by the Karnataka government in view of rising coronavirus cases.
Public spaces that were bustling with activities since the Unlock-1 phase once again fell silent while vehicles, including buses and taxis, were off the roads.
The government has announced the lockdown in Bengaluru urban and rural, Dakshina Kannada and Dharwad districts, where the COVID-19 case load has remained high, from Tuesday night till 5 AM on July 22.
On Wednesday, authorities in Shivamogga district also announced the lockdown.
In Bengaluru, shops selling essentials including milk, groceries and vegetables, would function from 5 am to 12 pm during the lockdown. People by and large abided by the regulations and remained at their homes. Barring those selling essentials, other shops and liquor outlets remained closed.
As per the guidelines for the current lockdown, public transportation services will remain suspended and all places of worship shall be closed to the public, and religious congregations are strictly prohibited. Also, opening of theatres, malls, bars, gyms, swimming pools is not permitted.
The inter-state and intra-state movement of passenger vehicles is allowed only in cases of emergencies or for permitted activities.
Most government offices will be closed while those providing essential services and engaged in COVID works will work with 50 percent strength.
Ahead of lockdown, Chief Minister B S Yediyurappa had appealed to the people to stay indoors and go out only when there was an emergency, that too with face masks and maintaining social distancing at public places.
The decision to impose lockdown, however, did not go down well with traders in Chickpet and surrounding places, the main business areas of the city.
"Earlier there was a 54 days lockdown starting from March 24 and then another 20 days lockdown was imposed. The Chickpet area was supposed to open from Monday but once again was closed down from Tuesday night. We traders are now at the receiving end," trade activist Sajjanraj Mehta told PTI.
He demanded that the government compensate the traders for losses incurred during the lockdown. Meanwhile, taking a cue from Bengaluru, Shivamogga district authorities too decided to impose the lockdown and allow business activities till afternoon.
As of Tuesday, the tally of COVID-19 cases in Karnataka stood at 44,077, including 25,839 active cases and 842 deaths.
With 377 deaths, most of the fatalities have occurred in Bengaluru which also accounted for 20,969 positive cases with 15,599 active cases, according to the health department.
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Real Madrid fines Valverde and Tchouaméni half a million euros each for altercation
Barcelona (AP): Real Madrid slapped players Federico Valverde and Aurélien Tchouaméni with half-a-million-euro ($588,000) fines on Friday for their altercation during practice.
The massive fines came a day after the midfielders tussled when the team trained. Valverde said in a post on social media on Thursday that no punches were thrown. But Valverde knocked his head on a table and he suffered a small cut that required a brief hospital visit.
On social media, Valverde initially called it a “meaningless fight” with a teammate and said “everything has been blown out of proportion."
His employers, however, considered it a significant enough breach of team discipline to nail both Valverde and Tchouaméni with fines that bite even the bank account of a top soccer player. The half-a-million euro penalties reflect the reputational damage the club was enduring in a chaotic end to a disappointing season.
In a statement, the 15-time European champion said its disciplinary action was concluded after both players expressed to the club “their complete remorse for what happened and apologized to one another.”
Madrid added they also apologized to their teammates, the coaching staff and club supporters, as well as showing their willingness to accept whatever disciplinary action the club deemed “opportune.”
Tchouaméni was back training with Madrid on Friday, two days before they play at Barcelona in a clasico. Madrid has to win otherwise Barcelona will be crowned La Liga champion.
After being notified of the fine, he posted a public apology to the club and its fans on social media.
“What happened this week in training is unacceptable,” Tchouaméni wrote. "I say this while thinking about the example we are expected to set for young people, whether in football or at school.
“Above all, I am sorry for the image we projected of the club.”
Valverde was not at practice due to the head knock.
Both players are set to play in the World Cup next month, with Tchouaméni playing for France and Valverde for Uruguay.
Chaotic end to a poor season
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The run-in between the players, who for seasons have played side by side in Madrid's midfield, came after they argued this week in previous training sessions. But tempers boiled over on Thursday. Spanish media was rife with reports that the players previously disagreed over the club's decision to let coach Xabi Alonso go after just months on the job.
It was not the only altercation involving Madrid players during training this week. Álvaro Carreras confirmed he was in a “minor” incident with a teammate. Spanish media said he and fellow defender Antonio Rüdiger got into a scuffle.
Álvaro Arbeloa, the coach who was promoted from Madrid's reserve team when Alonso was fired in January, will face tough questions on what went wrong inside the changing room when he gives a press conference on Saturday ahead of the clasico at Camp Nou.
Madrid is facing a second consecutive campaign without a major trophy amid rumors in the Spanish media that club president Florentino Pérez is considering bringing back Jose Mourinho to straighten out his underperforming team.
