Bengaluru: Defending the new set of guidelines issued by the Karnataka government, Minister for Health Dr K Sudhakar on Saturday said that it was inevitable to take certain strict measures so that things don’t go out of control.
Speaking to newsmen here on Saturday, he said the guidelines have been issued on the advice of the Technical Advisory Committee consisting of experts, after examinisng the situation and if things are under control by April 20, activities will be allowed to resume.
The government is not happy by restricting activities. “I have been requesting through the media for the last one month that a second wave is at our doorstep and if we don’t understand and take precautionary measures, the government will have no other options and may have to take serious measures,” he added.
He said Karnataka was the first to resume all the business activities, but the state is today reporting about 5,000 cases per day and 3,500 of them are from Bengaluru alone.
“The Committee has said this will be there for another two months, till May end and the graph will start declining from June first week. If we don’t take measures and something untoward happens, won’t it be the government’s responsibility?” he asked.
Aimed at curbing Covid-19 with the spike in cases, the government on Friday in a new set of guidelines had ordered the closure of gyms and swimming pools while capping the seating capacity in theatres at 50 per cent in certain districts. It has also ordered apartment complexes to shut common facilities such as party halls and club houses.
The new restrictions will be in force till April 20. Noting that the government has issued guidelines after getting several reports from the technical advisory committee, and after consulting senior officials and ministers, Sudhakar said it was not done at one go.
“People from several sectors are saying their activities should not be restricted and should go on freely. Yes, we (govt) too understand, but things should not go out of our control, so it was inevitable for the government to take certain strict measures. We request for cooperation from everyone.”
The Karnataka Film Chamber of Commerce has decided to meet Mr Yediyurappa to bring to his notice about the impact of capping the seating capacity in theatres at 50 per cent, on the industry, and is likely to seek relaxation so that it doesn’t impact films that have just been released.
There is pressure from some private schools to allow them to function, similar is the demand from gym, swimming pool and club owners, also people want to hold marriages with large gatherings, the Minister said.
The government is only trying to control this pandemic that’s all, there is no politics or any malicious intent behind this,” he said, and he evaded questions on night curfew or weekend lockdown stating that he doesn’t want to speak on what measures will be taken in the future.
