Karnataka Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai on Tuesday, December 21, announced that COVID-19 related restrictions will be in place in the state and in Bengaluru on New Year's Eve. Speaking to reporters outside the Karnataka Assembly, Basavaraj Bommai said that mass gatherings will not be allowed and special events like DJ parties will be prohibited on New Year's Eve in Karnataka. "Mass gatherings will not be allowed, particularly in the MG Road area in Bengaluru. Restaurants and bars can function at 50% capacity but special events like DJ parties will not be allowed," Basavaraj Bommai told reporters. "Even in apartments, DJ parties will not be allowed. This is across the state and not just in Bengaluru," he added.
He said that the staff working in restaurants and clubs should be vaccinated and should have a negative RT-PCR test result. According to the Chief Minister, regular businesses will be allowed to operate in the state by following COVID-19 protocols of wearing masks and maintaining physical distance. Basavaraj Bommai also said that Christmas celebrations will be allowed in churches in the state this week by following COVID-19 protocols.
The restrictions were announced in the wake of cases of the Omicron (B.1.1.529) variant reported in different parts of Karnataka. As per the latest figures, 19 cases of the Omicron variant have been recorded in the state including a cluster of cases in an educational institute in Dakshina Kannada district.
This is the second year in a row that COVID-19 related restrictions are in place in Bengaluru on New Year's Eve. In December 2020, the Karnataka government had announced a night curfew in the state from 6 pm on December 31 to 6 am on January 1.