The Karnataka government has issued new guidelines for the state as the number of COVID-19 patients increase steadily.
The government has said that the daily curfew would be imposed an hour earlier, from 8 pm to 5 am instead of the existing curfew from 9 pm to 5 am.
Further, the government has stated that full lockdown would be imposed every Sunday, with effect from July 5, 2020 until further orders. No activities shall be permitted on that day except essential services and supplies.
The government has also said that government offices will work on fewer days. From July 10 onwards, government offices will be closed for the weekend, and will work for only five days a week.
This comes after the Chief Minister held a meeting with his officials on Saturday evening.
In Bengaluru, the Commissioner, BBMP (Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike) has been directed to set up more smaller wholesale vegetable markets, to avoid crowding in the large wholesale vegetable markets of the city.
The Bengaluru Urban District Commissioner was told to identify more places to conduct the last rites of dead patients. The Chief Minister has also directed the formation of teams to conduct the last rites.
Chief Minister BS Yediyurappa has directed officials to increase the number of ambulances to carry COVID patients. He has also ordered for separate ambulances for carrying the mortal remains of patients who pass away. He also directed that the police control room wireless system should be used to identify the location and the easy movement of ambulances.
Yediyurappa directed officials to publish the details of nodal officers working on COVID Management. Further, it was decided to give additional responsibilities to the BBMP Joint Commissioners of the eight regions, and to appoint KAS officers to assist them to lessen the burden on the BBMP Commissioner and the central office of BBMP.
The government has already begun to take necessary steps to reserve large marriage halls, hostels and other institutions in Bengaluru to make them into COVID Care Centres (CCCs, meant for asymptomatic coronavirus patients) and to avail railway coaches with beds as treatment centres.
Officers were directed to have centralised bed allocation system to speed up the hospitalisation of COVID-19 patients.
Previously, the BBMP Commissioner was directed to notify reservation of 50 per cent of beds in Medical colleges and private hospitals. He was also directed to notify tie up of hotels with hospitals to avoid any shortage of beds for treatment.