Bengaluru, Jan. 21: The Karnataka government has lifted the weekend curfew but has decided to continue the night curfew. However, a decision will be taken to impose the weekend curfew from next week based on the number of COVID-19 cases and admissions to the hospital.
The decision was taken in the meeting chaired by Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai, who reviewed the COVID-19 situation in the state, on Friday. Briefing the media after the meeting, Revenue Minister R Ashoka announced that the weekend curfew has been withdrawn. However, he said that the night curfew, which will be in effect from 10 pm to 5 am, will continue on all seven days of the week.
“Based on the recommendation of the experts and the public opinion, it was decided to withdraw the weekend curfew. But it is decided to review the situation next week and to decide on reimposing the weekend curfew, based on the number of hospitalisation. Hence, the public has to cooperate and strictly adhere to covid appropriate behaviour,” Ashoka said.
He added that all other restrictions will continue to be in force. “Malls, hotels, bars, clubs, and pubs can operate with 50 percent of their seating capacity. They should check the visitors and guests and allow only those who have taken two doses of vaccination,” the minister said.
Though the number of COVID-19 cases is on the rise across the state, especially in Bengaluru which is recording around 30,000 cases every day, there was a demand from the business community, particularly the hospitality sector, to relax restrictions and lift night and weekend curfews. Even ministers, MPs, and MLAs from the ruling BJP party had objected to the government’s move of imposing the curfew. They had questioned the need for vaccination if the government took steps such as curfew again.
