Karnataka government has imposed a 14-day-long lockdown in the state amid the second wave of coronavirus cases. The BS Yediyurappa government announced on Friday that the lockdown will begin at 6 am on May 10 and will remain in effect till 6 am on May 25.
Shops selling essential goods will be allowed to operate between 6 AM and 6 PM, the Karnataka government said. Movement of essential goods and servies has also been allowed during the lockdown. Apart from these, road repair work and cargo vehicles have been allowed to operate too.
Non-essential shops, other services like hotels, pubs and bars, and industries that are not associated with essential goods or services have been ordered to stop operations during the lockdown.
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Flights and trains scheduled during the lockdown prior to the order have been allowed to run. In public transport, metro services will be suspended, whereas taxis will be allowed to operate only if they are booked for an emergency.
Schools and colleges will close down their campuses and online learning will continue.
Karnataka is one of the states identified by the central government where COVID-19 cases have been increasing over the past few days. It has been reporting around 50,000 cases every day. State capital Bengaluru has been adding the most to the state's daily COVID tally.
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Karnataka registered 49,058 fresh coronavirus cases, 328 deaths, and 18,943 discharges in the last 24 hours. The total caseload stands at 17,90,104, comprising 17,212 deaths and 5,17,075 active cases.
Earlier today, CM BS Yediyurappa warned that the state will be to be put under lockdown if people do not follow COVID-19 protocols and janta curfew. He had urged people to wear masks and adhere to COVID-19 appropriate behaviour to avoid stringent restrictions.
Karnataka government has also capped the CT-scan and digital X-ray prices at private hospitals and labs at Rs 1,500 and Rs 350, respectively.