Bengaluru, Jun 25 (IANS): With board exams for class 10 students getting underway, no decision has been taken yet on enforcing lockdown in Bengaluru again now, said Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister C.N. Ashwath Narayan.

"As class 10 exams began, I don't think the question of imposing lockdown again now in Bengaluru or other cities or towns in the state will rise," Narayan told reporters here after a cabinet meeting on the rising Covid cases in the southern state, especially in this tech city, of late.

The first Secondary School Leaving Certificate (SSLC) board exam in English subject for class 10 students was held across the southern state under Covid cloud as per lockdown guidelines,

"As scheduled, the 3-hour exam in English was conducted from 10:30 am in 3,179 centres across the state, as per the guidelines. About 8.5-lakh students registered to appear for the board exams till July 4," Karnataka Secondary Education Examination Board Director V. Sumangala told IANS here.

The state government has called for an all-party meeting of legislators from this tech city on Friday to discuss measures to be taken to contain the rising Covid cases in the city after consulting health experts.

"Though Covid cases have been rising, we have to take a pragmatic view of them as we have reopened the economy under unlock 1.0 since June 1. The cases are rising for various reasons, including influx of outsiders with infection,' said state Home Minister Basavaraj Bommai on the occasion.

On the demand for re-imposing lockdown by the Congress and the Janata Dal-Secular, Bommai said the opposition parties have been inconsistent, as they opposed lockdown when it was extended and want it again when it has been lifted and unlock began since June 1.

"It is not a question of opposition's demand or not but what is the need of the hour. We are consulting health experts and have called for an-all party meeting on Friday to assess the overall situation," asserted Bommai.

The state government has already re-imposed lockdown in 5 civic wards in the city since Tuesday till July 1 to contain the corona virus spread.

"We will discuss all aspects of the Covid cases rising in the city and elsewhere to decide continuing with the containment strategy or enforce lockdown again," reiterated Bommai.

Death rate has also gone up in the city and state due to ILI cases, which are common in this (rainy) season.

Of the 397 Covid cases reported across the state on Wednesday, 173 were from Bengaluru, taking its tally of positive cases to 1,678 and active to 1,124.

The city also accounted for 78 of the 164 deaths in the southern state although 475 were cured and discharged from the designated hospitals in the city./Eom/450 words.