Activities in Dakshina Kannada and Udupi districts came to a standstill with the enforcement of weekend curfew on Saturday to prevent spread of COVID-19.
The district administrations are likely to face challenges in enforcing the curfew on Sunday when a host of marriages are scheduled.
With milk, vegetable vendors, and other essential products sellers downing their shutters by 9.30 a.m., it was a total lockdown in Mangaluru by 10 a.m. While private city buses were off the road, few skeletal services of KSRTC operated from State Bank Circle and KSRTC bus stand. “We are running only those buses in which around 20% of the seats are occupied,” said an official supervising operations of buses at the KSRTC bus stand.
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Students from Kerala and other parts of the country were seen coming in private cars, taxis and autorickshaws to Mangaluru Central and Mangaluru Junction to get trains.
The railway authorities were seen entering the names of these passengers and allowing into the platform after checking their temperature and ensuring that they properly wear face masks.
The Mangaluru city police set up checkposts at 54 places in the city, including at major junction like Clock Tower junction where about 12 personnel were posted to stop unnecessary movement of vehicles.
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Vehicle movement was barred on the road between Clock Tower and. A.B.Shetty Circle and diverted to the stretch between Clock Tower Junction- Rao and Rao Circle. Police Commissioner N. Shashi Kumar said 35 mobile squads, with about three squads for each police station, have also been deployed. A total of 1,000 police personnel have been used for bandobast duties. The police will seize vehicles that are seen unnecessarily moving on the roads, he said.
Superintendent of Police Rishikesh Sonawane said 28 checkposts have been set up to across Dakshina Kannada. Sector mobile squads were also patrolling in the district. Apart from cases booked for not wearing masks, six FIRs have been registered for major violation of COVID-19 protocol since April 21, he said.
Around noon, Inspector General of Police Hemanth Nimbalkar, who is the nodal officer appointed by Home Department for COVID-19 control and enforcement in Dakshina Kannada and Udupi, held a meeting with IGP Western Range Devajyoti Ray, Mr. Kumar, Deputy Commissioner K.V. Rajendra, Mr. Sonawane, and other officials.
Dr. Rajendra told reporters that apart from review of enforcement of COVID-19 restrictions and protocols, Mr. Nimbalkar reviewed the arrangements for treatment of 3,200 patients. “We do not have any problem for beds and medicines for the next 15 days,” he said and added that Mr. Nimbalkar was apprised of likely issues that the district would face in the coming days which will require intervention of the State government.
Mr. Nimbalkar reviewed enforcement of COVID-19 protocols in the city and Dakshina Kannada and looked into progress in the vaccination of police personnel and their family members, post vaccination infection, and psychological issues, if any, faced by the police personnel. He also took information of crime scenario during the pandemic.
The weekend curfew was total in Udupi district with police barricading some major points in Udupi town and other areas on Saturday. Motorists who were seen unnecessarily moving on the road were sent back home. Shops selling essential items were closed by 10 a.m. Most of the hotels did not operate and as there were fewer customers. Social activist Vishu Shetty Ambalapady went around different places in Udupi city to provide food packets to destitute people.