No New Year celebration in public, only jabbed can visit clubs: Karnataka widens virus curbs

Karnataka chief minister Basavaraj Bommai said that the restrictions will be in place between December 30, 2021 and January 2, 2022.

Karnataka chief minister Basavaraj Bommai on Tuesday said curbs will be in place on public celebrations ahead of New Year.

Karnataka chief minister Basavaraj Bommai said no DJ will be allowed to be present in clubs or restaurants for New Year celebrations. (PTI)

Bommai said only celebrations at clubs and restaurants will be permitted with 50 per cent seating capacity, but special features such as disc-jockeying (DJ) events will not be allowed.

“Full vaccination is mandatory. These restrictions will be in effect from December 30, 2021, and January 2, 2022,” he was quoted as saying by news agency ANI.

Last week, the Karnataka government's Technical Advisory Committee (TAC) on Covid-19 recommended against allowing New Year celebrations, which typically invite massive crowds. The panel advised the Bommai government to impose restrictions under Section 144 of the CrPC between December 22 and January 2 in Bengaluru, along with night curfew between 7pm and 5am. It also cautioned against allowing public on roads and in public places.

Bommai's announcement came on a day the total number of Omicron cases in India climbed to 202, after Odisha reported the state's first two cases of the new strain.

With 19 infections, Karnataka is among the top five states that account for the most number of cases of the new Covid-19 variant. Of these, as many as 15 patients have recovered in the southern state, according to the statewise Omicron data released by the Union ministry of health and family welfare earlier in the day.

Maharashtra and Delhi with 54 Omicron cases each lead India's cumulative tally. Telangana with 20 infections and Rajasthan with 18 are the two other states most hit by the Omicron variant in India, the health ministry data said.