Lockdown restrictions are likely be extended by at least another week after June 7 when the presently imposed restrictions will come to an end, in line with recommendations of the State’s COVID-19 Technical advisory Committee.
However, the State government is expected to relax restrictions and allow all industries and construction sectors to resume work from June 7, a member of the COVID-19 task force said.
Chief Minister B.S. Yediyurappa, who chaired two COVID-19 review meetings on Wednesday, also hinted the same. He said that the government would call on extending the lockdown and other stringent measures shortly, and added that “export oriented industrial units will be allowed to function with 50% staff strength from June 3”. Chief Secretary P. Ravi Kumar issued an order to this effect later in the day.
Meanwhile, other industries, including MSMEs, will also likely be allowed to function with 50% staff strength, following all COVID-19 appropriate behaviour from June 7, a senior Minister said. The garment sector that employs over five lakh people, most of them women, will also likely be allowed to function with 50% staff strength, the Minister added.
Industry bodies also met Industries Minister Jagadish Shettar and lobbied hard for relaxation of restrictions. “It has already been six weeks since most of our industries are closed, pushing industries, especially MSMEs into huge losses. Any extension of the lockdown will be unviable,” said Perikal M. Sundar, president, Federation of Karnataka Chamber of Commerce and Industry.
A delegation from Karnataka Small Scale Industries Association (KASSIA) also met Mr. Shettar and appealed to permit MSMEs to operate in the State without any hindrance immediately. “We have been given an assurance that we will be allowed to reopen from June 7 with 50% staff strength,” Mr. Sundar told The Hindu.
The industry bodies have also demanded that industrial workers be treated as a priority group and be vaccinated on priority. “The government must conduct vaccination camps in industrial areas and also establish COVID Care infrastructure in industrial estates,” FKCCI said.
Meanwhile, the Government Order on Wednesday stipulated that all functioning industries that employ more than 1,000 employees have to get at least 10% of their staff strength tested for COVID-19 randomly, twice a week.
