Karnataka Chief Minister BS Yediyurappa announced on Saturday that there won’t be a total lockdown on Sunday as it was announced earlier. All activities will function normally.
The Chief Minister said that the decision has been taken in the best interest of people and also due to popular demand. The move to clampdown activities on Sunday was taken as a part of the fourth phase of the lockdown in order to curb movement during the weekends.
Sunday Lockdown was announced earlier
As per the new lockdown guidelines issued by the Karnataka government, the 24th of May will be the first Sunday Curfew. The Karnataka government had announced that every Sunday will be a complete lockdown until the 31st of May. Most of the services which were available in the week were being shut for the day. The complete curfew would begin at 7 pm on Saturday and would go on till 7 am on Monday.
Private vehicles too were not allowed to be on the streets. If it was not for an emergency reason and the vehicle was caught by the police personnel, it was a punishable offense. However, those who have secured permissions to attend marriages and other ceremonies were allowed to move. Migrant workers who were traveling to other states was not questioned. However, essential services like pharmacies, grocery stores, and hospitals remained open. Restaurants were only be allowed to offer takeaways or deliveries. Delivery services like Swiggy, Dunzo, and Zomato were allowed to operate in the city. If not for emergencies, Taxis and autos were not allowed to be on the streets.
There were talks of the state looking to extend the Sunday lockdown for a couple of months but looks like it has taken a U-turn and has swept away the move. On 31st, the state will function the same way as it was functioning in the fourth phase of the lockdown.
The Karnataka government is due to announce the guidelines for the next phase of the lockdown, whether it wants to extend the lockdown and if it does, what will be allowed and what will be restricted. As per the rumors, it is likely that the state will allow religious places to open.
