The Karnataka government has announced that a night curfew will be in place from 10 pm to 5 am for 10 days, from December 28 to January 7. In light of the rising number of Omicron cases and in order to curb the spread of the coronavirus in the state, the state government has announced a series of restrictions ahead of New Year’s Eve. The decision was announced after a meeting held by Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai with several ministers including the Health, Revenue and Home Ministers, as well as officials of the Health Department and the COVID-19 Technical Advisory Committee.
Along with the night curfew, all gatherings and New Year’s parties in public places will be prohibited, state Health Minister Dr K Sudhakar announced on Sunday, December 25. Pubs, restaurants and other eateries will be allowed to have only 50% occupancy on December 31, he said. “We need to understand that Omicron spreads very quickly,” the minister said. He also urged the public to receive the second dose of the vaccine as soon as possible. “Today, our state has 38 cases (of the variant). So before it spreads to more people, people need to get both doses of the vaccine,” the minister added.
The state government, in an order, also said that all gatherings including conferences and weddings should be limited to 300 people, and that COVID-19-appropriate behaviour must be followed at all times. Further, all staff members of pubs, restaurants and other establishments must have COVID-19-negative RT-PCR test reports and must be fully vaccinated. The order also states that surveillance efforts will be stepped up in districts bordering Maharashtra and Karnataka.
Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai had previously announced certain restrictions for New Year’s Eve on December 21. He had said that mass gatherings will not be allowed, especially in the MG Road area in Bengaluru, and that special events like DJ parties would not be allowed.
Other states like Telangana, Maharashtra and the Delhi government too have imposed curbs on public gatherings during the festive season, amid concerns over the spread of the Omicron variant. Following directions from the Telangana High Court to impose restrictions on public gatherings during Christmas, New Year’s Eve and Sankranthi, the Telangana government has issued orders banning rallies and public gatherings till January 2. However, the state did not ban New Year’s celebrations.
While prohibiting rallies and public meetings, the orders stated that other events involving congregation of people will be allowed, as long as physical distancing is ensured at the venue, masks are made mandatory, and thermal scanning is done at the entry point.