Night curfew to continue, Karnataka lifts weekend curbs

The Karnataka government on Friday announced withdrawal of weekend curfew with immediate effect, though night curfew remains.The decision was made after chief minister Basavaraj Bommai called a meeting of cabinet ministers, experts and senior government officials to review the situation. Most of the restrictions were imposed immediately after Christmas last month. According to Revenue R Ashok said that while residents of the state can move out freely on Saturdays and Sundays starting January 22, night curfew and 50% occupancy rule for hotels and other establishments will stay. Fairs and rallies or any large gathering are still prohibited. The minister warned that weekend curfew will be re-imposed if the hospitalisation rate crosses 5%.

The state government was under pressure from the business community to give relaxations looking at the negative impact of the curbs on the local economy. On Friday, Karnataka recorded 48,000 cases. A day before, on Thursday, Bengaluru reported 30,540 fresh cases in Karnataka’s 24-hour tally of 47,754 cases. As of January 20, Karnataka has 2.93 lakh active cases. A total of 5,333 patients are being treated in hospitals, of which 340 were in the ICU and only 127 are in need of oxygen