BENGALURU: With the positivity rate in all the districts in Karnataka falling below 2 per cent, the State Government on Thursday issued orders allowing the district deputy commissioners to decide whether to continue with the weekend curfew or lift it. However, night curfew between 9 pm and 5 am continues to be in force across the state.
Weekend curfew was imposed last month in districts bordering Kerala and Maharashtra — Dakshina Kannada, Kodagu, Mysuru, Chamarajanagar, Belagavi, Vijayapura, Bidar and Kalaburagi — due to high Covid cases in the two neighbouring states resulting in a surge of cases in these districts in Karnataka.
While the administration in Mysuru, Chamarajanagar and the districts bordering Maharashtra were allowed to lift the weekend curfews earlier, the other districts bordering Kerala had continued with the weekend curfew till Thursday. Udupi, though not bordering Kerala, also saw imposition of weekend curfew, besides Hassan.
Data over the last one week indicates that 14 districts across the state have zero per cent positivity rate, six districts between zero and 1 per cent, and 10 districts between 1 and 2 per cent. The order, signed by Chief Secretary and Chairman, State Executive Committee, P Ravi Kumar, takes into consideration the prevailing Covid-19 situation in the state wherein there has been a consistent decline in the case positivity rate.
“The state, as a whole, has an average case positivity rate of 0.73 per cent and the districts are having case positivity rate of less than 2 per cent,” the orders states. It,
however, also states that to sustain the substantial gains achieved due to “stringent containment measures, there is a need to continue with the existing measures along with focused surveillance, testing-tracking- treatment, vaccination, micro-containment measures and strict adherence to Covid19-appropriate behaviour.”
Strict surveillance at border posts in places bordering Kerala and Maharashtra is set to continue as per guidelines issued by the Health Department. Besides, the Education Department will issue separate orders with detailed guidelines for opening of primary schools in the districts.
