Karnataka: Night curfew in Bengaluru, 6 other cities over COVID-19
The Karnataka government has announced a night curfew in state capital Bengaluru as well as six other cities in the wake of the soaring COVID-19 cases across the state over the past few weeks. The curfew will be in effect from 10 pm to 5 am starting April 10, and will remain in force until April 20. Here are more details on this.
Decision taken after Prime Minister's review meeting
Karnataka Chief Minister BS Yediyurappa made the announcement soon after a virtual meeting with Prime Minister Narendra Modi to discuss the COVID-19 situation in the country. Besides Bengaluru, the curfew will also be imposed in Mysuru, Mangaluru, Kalaburagi, Bidar, Tumakuru, and Udupi-Manipal. However, there will be no restrictions on the movement of essential services, buses and other forms of public transportation, the CM informed.
Social and religious gatherings will remain prohibited
Notably, gatherings for fairs, festivals, and other social and religious purposes will be prohibited during the said period. Further, action will be taken and penalties levied against those who do not wear masks or maintain social distancing in public spaces.
Bengaluru reporting over 4,000 new cases daily
Bengaluru has been reporting more than 4,000 daily new coronavirus cases for the last few days. In fact, 4,422 of the 6,570 cases reported in Karnataka on Thursday were from Bengaluru. Karnataka is among the 10 states including Maharashtra, Chhattisgarh, Uttar Pradesh, Delhi, Madhya Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, Gujarat, Kerala, and Punjab that accounted for 84 percent of the 1.26 lakh infections India reported yesterday.
India sees huge surge in COVID-19 infections
India has been witnessing a massive surge in COVID-19 cases over the past few weeks amid growing concerns over mutated strains of the virus and laxity among people in following coronavirus-related protocols. Not only Bengaluru, cities like Delhi and the neighboring Noida have also announced night curfew restrictions. Several states such as Maharashtra, Rajasthan, and Punjab have also come up with fresh restrictions.
India has logged over 1.30 crore cases so far
The current wave of COVID-19 in India is expected to reach its peak later this month. The country, the third worst-hit in the outbreak after the United States and Brazil, has so far logged over 1.30 crore infections and more than 1.67 lakh deaths.
