Karnataka: Night Curfew To Begin From 8 PM, Lockdown On Sundays Starting July 5

As per reports, only essential services and supplies will be allowed on Sunday and all government offices shall remain closed on all Saturdays, with effect from July 10.

(Image: AFP)

Bengaluru: In the wake of spurting Coronavirus cases in the state, Karnataka government on Saturday announced changes in timing of night curfew from existing 9 PM - 5 AM to 8 PM - 5 AM. The decision was taken during an emergency meeting chaired by Chief Minister BS Yediyurappa with Karnataka's top officials to discuss the measures to further contain the spread of deadly virus. As of June 27, Karnataka has a total of 3,909 active Covid-19 cases while nearly 7,000 patients have recovered from the infection. During the meeting, it was also decided that there will be a complete lockdown in the state on every Sunday starting July 5. As per reports, only essential services and supplies will be allowed on Sunday and all government offices shall remain closed on all Saturdays, with effect from July 10. During the meeting, it was also decided that a centralised bed-allocation system for Covid-19 patients will be taken up to make sure that each patient gets a bed without overwhelming the healthcare infrastructure. The development come a day after a Karnataka minister said that all efforts will be made to control the spread of coronavirus in the city and there will be no fresh lockdown as he asserted that it wants to carry on the developmental activities and Covid-19 management hand-in-hand. The assertion from the Karnataka government came as CM Yediyurappa chaired a meeting with MLAs, MLCs and MPs of all parties from Bengaluru to discuss measures to control the virus, in the backdrop of spike in the number of cases. Meanwhile, state government had recently decided to treat asymptomatic COVID-19 patients at hotels, hostels, guest houses, indoor stadiums which will be converted as Covid-19 Care Centres, so that the beds at hospitals are made available for critical and symptomatic patients. In a similar move, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Friday relaxed the night curfew hours during the extended Covid-19 lockdown across the state. She said the new restrictions will apply from 10 p.m. to 5 a.m. from the earlier 9 p.m. to 5 a.m. everyday. Banerjee had extended the lockdown in the state till July 31 to contain the spread of Covid-19 infections.