Night curfew in Karnataka from tomorrow to prevent spread of Omicron COVID variant

According to a government circular, public transport will not be affected during this period and there will not be any change in the schedules of government buses, the railways and airplanes. Pharmacies will remain open during this period.

Published : Dec 27, 2021 13:08 IST

Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai.

Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai.

The Karnataka government has imposed night curfew starting from December 28 to prevent the spread of the Omicron variant during the New Year period. The curfew will be in effect between 10 p.m. and 5 a.m. until January 7. Along with this, there is also a ban on public celebrations of the New Year. These decisions were taken at a meeting of the Technical Advisory Committee (TAC) on December 26 headed by Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai. Members of the TAC advised the Chief Minister to take these strict steps to prevent the spread of the Omicron COVID variant as large gatherings are common as part of New Year celebrations. The TAC met on a day when Karnataka witnessed a slight spike in the number of COVID cases, reporting 348 cases.

According to the government circular, public transport will not be affected during this period and there will not be any change in the schedules of government buses, the railways and airplanes. Pharmacies will remain open during this period. The decision has met with opposition by associations representing hoteliers, bar and pub owners and auto drivers and cab drivers. P. C. Rao, president of the Bruhath Bangalore Hotels Association, said, "The government has gone ahead with this decision without consulting us and has issued this order with four days remaining for the new year. Most of the hotels, restaurants and resorts have already gone ahead and organised special events for December 31. How reasonable is it to issue this order at this point?"

Speaking to mediapersons after the meeting of the TAC, Bommai stated that there would be no review of the restrictions which were necessary as "a precautionary measure".

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