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Curbs in K’taka to be lifted in 4 to 5 phases: Minister
Bengaluru: Karnataka revenue minister R Ashoka on Wednesday made it clear that there will not be a complete lifting of lockdown post-July 14
Bengaluru: Karnataka revenue minister R Ashoka on Wednesday made it clear that there will not be a complete lifting of lockdown post-July 14. He said that the restrictions in the state will be removed in four to five phases. He didn’t mention any timeframe for these phases but said a final decision will be taken in the next couple of days.
Talking about the immediate relaxation in norms, he said that the window for purchasing essential services would be extended. Currently, people can shop for essentials between 6 am and 10 pm. “After June 14, the government is mulling of unlocking the state in five phases. In the first phase there is a plan of extending the time of buying essential things from the present 6 am to 10 am to 6 am to 12 noon,” he said.
He further added that in the first phase, people will be allowed to visit parks. “Experts are of the opinion that people can be allowed to walk in the park. So, this activity may be allowed in the first phase of unlocking itself. The final decision will be taken by chief minister B S Yediyurappa in the meeting in which the deputy commissioners and district in-charge ministers will take part,” he said.
The minister said that several meetings are underway to decide the details of the phase-wise unlock in the state. “Keeping the number of deaths and new cases in mind and aim at bringing down the Covid infections further, lockdown will not be relaxed at one go. Home minister Basavaraj Bommai, health minister K Sudhakar and I have held detailed discussions with the chief minister in this regard,” Ashoka said.
The Karnataka government had initially announced 14 day close down from April 27 but subsequently imposed a complete lockdown from May 10 to May 24, as Covid cases continued to spike. Citing that the lockdown was yielding desired results and experts advice, it was further extended till June 7 and then again till June 14.
Noting that the number of daily new cases in Bengaluru is still in the 2,000 range, Ashoka, who is also the vice-chairman of Karnataka State Disaster Management Authority said, the numbers have to come down further. “Bengaluru is currently reporting about 2,000 cases. If we want to have a normal life, the caseload must come down to 500 per day. We will also be analysing what will be the positivity rate once unlock process sets in,” he said.
We will also have to keep in mind the rise in positive cases as we unlock, he added.
Karnataka on Wednesday logged 10,595 new cases and 192 deaths while Bengaluru alone recorded 2,395 cases and 50 deaths. The current positivity rate in the state is 6.68%.
The minister clarified that no new industries, other than those that are currently functioning, will be allowed to resume operations for the time being.
Karnataka health minister Dr K Sudhakar said that lifting all restrictions at one go may trigger a surge in cases. The restrictions will be eased in a staggered manner and CM will take a final decision on the modalities of unlock, he said.
“There is no confusion regarding lifting the restrictions. Other states like Maharashtra, have opened up only after reduction in cases. The advice of expert’s will be conveyed to CM and then he will take a final decision after discussion with senior ministers. As per experts’ opinion, if positivity rate is less than 5% and the cases are less than 5,000 restrictions can be lifted,” he added.
