Night curfew in Karnataka from today; 38 Omicron cases reported so far

Bengaluru: “Night Curfew” announced by the Karnataka government for ten days as part of its containment measures to control further COVID spread, has come into effect from 10 pm across the state on Tuesday. The night curfew is from 10 pm to 5 am every day till 7 January morning, during which no activities will be allowed. There has been a steady increase in the number of COVID-19 clusters in the state and in the number of Omicron variant’s infections, with its tally in Karnataka now standing at 38. The government has said that it is imposing additional containment measures proactively to break the chain of transmission in the state. Stating that the night curfew has been decided following experts’ advice, Home Minister Araga Jnanendra in a statement today has appealed to public to cooperate with authorities and police, by following the rules, for larger public good. As part of containment measures, the government also banned all New Year parties and gatherings in public places, and places like eateries, hotels, pubs, clubs and restaurants have been asked to operate with 50 percent of their seating capacity from 30 December to 2 January. According to the government order during night curfew, the movement of individuals shall remain strictly prohibited, except for essential activities, patients and their attendants, industries and companies requiring night operations, vehicles carrying goods, bus, trains, metro, air travel, home delivery and e-commerce operations, among others. Employees of companies working during night shifts can move around with a valid ID card. Movement of passengers for the sake of travel through bus, trains and air will be allowed on displaying valid travel documents or tickets. The order also states that only essential staff or employees of IT and ITeS companies shall work from the office, while the rest will work from home.