Karnataka: Weekend curfew comes into force

Bengaluru: The first 57-hour weekend curfew from 9 p.m. on Friday to 6 a.m. on Monday to contain the pandemic's second wave sweeping Karnataka came into force across the State, an official said on Friday.

"As notified by the chief secretary on April 20, the weekend curfew has been enforced from 9 p.m. on Friday to 6 a.m. on Monday to restrict movement of people across the State to contain the virus spread, with essential services exempted," an official of the Home department told IANS here. The weekend curfew is in addition to the night curfew from 9 p.m. to 6 a.m. on week days (Monday to Thursday) till May 4.

The next weekend curfew will be from 9 p.m. on April 30 to 6 a.m. on May 3. "Besides essential services, shops selling groceries, vegetables, fruits, milk, eggs, fish, meat and medicines will be allowed to remain open from 6 a.m. to 10 a.m. on Saturday and Sunday to meet the daily needs of the people," said the official.

While passenger and cargo flights by state-run Air India and private airlines and special trains by the railways will operate, a limited number of buses will run on inter-state and intra-state routes for people employed in essential services and duties.

"No restriction on the movement of state government and civic body employees. Private employees on emergency duty will be allowed to travel on producing identity card to local police and security personnel," said the official.

Eligible people, including senior citizens and those in the 45-59 years age group will be allowed to visit hospitals for vaccination, as patients for treatment in state-run and private hospitals.

"Pre-arranged weddings will be allowed with only 50 people participating. Only 20 people are allowed to attend funerals or death ceremonies," said the official.

While cinema theatres, pubs, clubs, restaurants and hotels and malls will be shut, public will be allowed to visit parks with face masks. They have to ensure social distancing and sanitise their hands. Eateries will be allowed to provide parcel service to customers but not dining.

"As on weekdays, places of worship, temples, mosques and churches will be shut for visitors though priests will be allowed to perform rituals," noted the official.

Similarly, home delivery and e-commerce services will be allowed. To restrict and regulate vehicular movement, barricades have been set up on main roads and junctions and traffic police deployed to check validity of people allowed to commute in cities and towns across the state.

Hundreds of people headed to their native places or towns and villages during the day from Bengaluru and other cities to avoid being stranded during the weekend curfew. According to the state health bulletin, 26,962 new cases were reported in a day, taking the state's Covid tally to 12,74,959, including 2,14,311 active cases.

As epi-centre of the pandemic, Bengaluru registered 16,662 fresh cases in a day, taking the city's Covid tally to 6,15,581, including 1,49,624 active cases.

With 190 patients succumbing to the infection, including 124 in Bengaluru during the day, the state's death toll touched 14,075 and the city's toll rose to 5,574 since the virus broke out in mid-March a year ago. Of 1,128 patients in the intensive care units (ICUs), 246 are in Bengaluru hospitals.

Positivity rate was 15.19 per cent and case fatality rate 0.70 per cent across the state on Thursday.