Bengaluru
After weeks of deliberations and discussions, the Karnataka government on Tuesday announced extended hours of restrictions during the night and a weekend curfew across the state to mitigate the unprecedented surge in Covid-19 surge in the state and its capital Bengaluru.
“The guidelines shall continue to remain in force from 9 pm of 21st April 2021 upto 6am of 4th May 2021,” the guidelines issued by the state government on Tuesday said. The guidelines will be applicable to all parts of the state.
The document, named ‘Guidelines to contain COVID l9 transmission in the state’ does not mention lockdown, even though most of the provisions indicate closure of most commercial establishments including cinema halls, malls, restaurants and other activities. Take away services have been allowed to function.
The decision comes after days of indecisiveness by the BS Yediyurappa-led government that has been trying to find a middle ground between announcing a lockdown and keeping economic activities functioning in the cash-starved state.
“This is not a full lockdown and is kind of a middle ground,” P Ravi Kumar, Karnataka’s chief secretary said on Tuesday night.
{{/usCountry}}“This is not a full lockdown and is kind of a middle ground,” P Ravi Kumar, Karnataka’s chief secretary said on Tuesday night.
{{/usCountry}}The guidelines were issued barely an hour after Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s address, in which he said that lockdown must be the last resort by states, leaving the decision to go in for a lockdown or not with the concerned state governments.
The Karnataka government has said that movement of people will remain strictly prohibited during the weekend curfew, except for essential activities.
On weekends, grocery shops and other produce selling stores will remain open from 6 am to 10 am.
“All industries/companies which require operations at night shall be permitted to operate. Movement of employees of such organisations shall be allowed on producing valid ID card/authorisation issued by their respective organisation/institution,” according to the order.
The government said that movement of vehicles for essential supplies will not be prohibited and food and other delivery will be allowed. People will be allowed to move in public and public transport to railway stations, bus stations and airports by producing valid tickets.
The restrictions come almost a month after the surge across the state and its capital, Bengaluru, which remains firmly in the tightening grip of the second wave of the Covid-19 pandemic, which continues to wreak havoc on the southern state and other parts of the country.
Karnataka and Benglauru reported their highest ever single-day spike on Tuesday as they reported 21,794 and 13,782 infections respectively, taking the combined active cases to 159,158.
The state also reported 149 fatalities, including 92 in Bengaluru, indicating the severity of the spread and its impact.
R Ashok, Karnataka’s revenue minister, on Tuesday directed district officials in the state to allot land on the outskirts of cities for cremation of bodies citing overload at crematoriums.
The guidelines further state that schools, colleges, educational institutions will remain closed. Cinema halls, shopping malls, gymnasiums, yoga centres and sports complexes have been listed under the prohibited activities.
The order also states that all religious places will remain closed even though people working in these establishments can continue their work.
“The situation in the state has aggravated. Therefore, some extraordinary measures are necessary,” Basavaraj Bommai, Karnataka’s home, law and parliamentary affairs minister, said hours before the guidelines were issued.