Karnataka government has imposed restrictions on various activities as Covid-19 cases in Bengaluru city and state witness a sharp surge. Weekend curfews will be put in place starting from 10 pm on Friday night to 6 am on Monday. Night curfew will also be enforced across the state for the next two weeks, and will come into effect from 10 am on Wednesday, January 5 till 5 am on January 19.
All offices across the state will be allowed to function from Monday to Friday with measures into effect from January 6.
While physical classes in Bengaluru will be closed for all students except for class 10, 11 and 12 as these students can be vaccinated, colleges across the city will also be closed except medical, paramedical and nursing colleges. Schools in other districts will continue to function as of now.
Malls, pubs, theatres and bars can operate only at 50% capacity from Monday to Friday and it’s mandatory for all those visiting these places to have administered both doses of the vaccine.
Swimming pools and gyms can operate at 50% capacity for only fully vaccinated persons.
Restrictions have also been imposed on the number of people attending weddings with a capacity of only 200 people in open spaces and 100 in closed.
No gatherings including protests, strikes and religious events are permitted. Religious places can be open, with only 50 people allowed at one time.
For the weekend curfew, the guidelines said that across Karnataka all industries including IT are exempt from curfew restrictions and employees are allowed to move around on producing a valid ID card. Restaurant and eateries will be allowed only for take away and home delivery on the weekend. All public places will be closed on weekends.
At the time of announcement, Karnataka Revenue Minister R Ashoka, said that there were 3,048 Covid-19 cases in Bengaluru, with 147 Omicron cases in the city. He added that the city/state will witness more than 10,000 cases in a duration of six days as cases are getting doubled every 2-3 days.
To control the spread, containment measures were already into effect, including the night curfew from 10 pm to 5 am, from December 28 till January 7 morning.
People coming from Goa, Kerala and Maharashtra will mandatorily require an RT-PCR test.
For international passengers, an RT-PCR test is mandatory for those coming from high-risk nations. If found Covid-19 positive, classification will be done and they will be sent to Covid care centres or hotel isolation.
Over the last five days, Karnataka has been witnessing a surge in Covid-19 cases. Earlier, Health Minister K Sudhakar had said it was necessary to take special steps in Bengaluru city to contain the spread of the virus as the city is an epicentre.
On Tuesday, Karnataka reported 2,479 infections and four deaths, while active cases stood at 13,532, as per the health department’s bulletin. R Ashoka said that cases as of 10 pm on Tuesday in Bengaluru were 3,048. The test positivity rate has also increased in the state.
