Lockdown to continue in Karnataka till May 15 with relaxations for green zones

Bengaluru: Following a steep increase in Covid-19 positive cases in Karnataka, particularly Bengaluru, the state government has decided to continue the lockdown till May 15.

However, relaxations will be allowed in the green zones and places other than containment zones.

During chief minister B S Yediyurappa's video conference yesterday deputy commissioners and top bureaucrats, a majority of the officers said it would be better to continue the lockdown till May 15.

They said an immediate relaxation may trigger adverse consequences in the containment zones, where the number of positive cases is higher.

The chief minister said though the lockdown will go on till May 15, the government would allow commercial and industrial activities in the green zones.

Senior ministers who attended the video conference said that the government is likely to allow industrial activities in areas other than containment zones, except in Bengaluru. It may allow industrial activities in the rural parts of Bengaluru using minimum labour.

Yediyurappa expressed this opinion when he attended the video conference with prime minister Narendra Modi. However, the PM did not made any comment on the suggestion to continue the lockdown till May 15. In fact the PM left it to the state governments to relax the lockdown in a phased manner.

Before such a step-by-step relaxation, the government will issue guidelines to the public and private industrial sectors. Doctors have suggested that it should be compulsory for people to wear a mask outside their homes.