Karnataka Chief Minister B S Yediyurappa on Friday announced lockdown-like restrictions with more stringent curbs from May 10 to May 24 in view of the alarming rise in COVID-19 cases.
There was already a curfew in place in the state from April 27, which was to end on May 12.
“The second wave of COVID-19 is creating havoc across the state as the Corona curfew imposed in the state has not yielded the expected result in reducing the infection and death rate,” the chief minister said.
“Therefore, the government has decided to impose a stringent measure to check the spread of the disease and death. Restrictions will be imposed in the entire state from 6 am of May 10 to 6 am of May 24,” he said.
All shops and commercial establishments, hotels, pubs and bars will remain closed during this period, CM Yediyurappa said.
Essential goods and services like food, medicine, milk, fruits and vegetables, etc will be available from 6 am to 10 am, he added.
COVID-19 deaths in Karnataka on Friday showed that clamping curfews were not effective and result-oriented steps like a complete 14-day lockdown imposed at the start of the pandemic was necessary, Health Minister Dr K Sudhakar said.
“The deaths due to COVID have increased. The fatality rate percentage is 1.21 on Friday, which is 592 people, the highest so far,” he told reporters in Chikkaballapura.
“If we have to break the chain of infection then we have to initiate result-oriented measures like a 14-day lockdown imposed last year at the start of the pandemic. The state has been witnessing a steep rise in COVID cases with a daily caseload of about 50,000 and fatalities are also going up at an alarming proportion. The active cases are close to 4. 5 lakh in the state,” he said.
