Following the Union Home Ministry’s guidelines, the Karnataka government on Saturday announced some relaxation measures in the COVID-19 lockdown, including allowing a maximum of one third of the workforce in the information technology (IT) and biotechnology (BT) sectors “providing essential services” and government offices from Monday.
Prohibitory orders under Section 144 of the Cr.PC, however, will continue all over the State till May 3. To contain the spread of the pandemic, the government has banned inter-district movement of people and movement of vehicles in other districts of the State till May 3.
After holding a meeting, Chief Minister B.S. Yediyurappa said employees in IT and BT firms providing only essential services can operate their business by allowing one-third of the workforce in their offices from Monday. “Employees of IT/BT companies should come to offices in hired buses. Other IT/BT firms, those not providing essential services, should encourage employees to work from home,” Mr. Yediyurappa said.
Government departments not dealing with essential services would function with a third of the workforce and employees have to come in buses that would be hired exclusively for them.
The government rolled back some of the relaxations announced on Saturday morning by evening. A senior Minister admitted that there was resentment over the entire Cabinet not being consulted over the issue.
Various zones
The meeting discussed identifying containment zones and the activities to be permitted in non-containment zones.
“We decided to appoint incident commander to each containment zone assisted by the police and health officials. They will be responsible for containing crowd movement and providing basic amenities in these areas. The incident commander will have magisterial powers,” the Chief Minister said. Medical check-up has been made mandatory in buffer zones, within 5-km radius of containment zones in urban areas and 7-km radius in rural areas.
The Chief Minister said construction activities too would allowed and workers should be allowed to stay at construction sites. Vehicles transporting construction materials such sand, iron rods would not require permission from authorities to transport the goods.
As per the Central guidelines, he said all industries located in rural areas would be allowed to operate. The guidelines allows industries located outside city corporations and municipal limits to operate from April 20.
The Chief Minister said all special economic zones, industrial establishments and townships located in urban areas too would be allowed to operate business. This means industries located in Bengaluru and other cities will be allowed to open from Monday. However, the managements have to make arrangements for providing accommodation for workers near the industries in urban areas.
Wearing masks and practising social distancing have been made mandatory and spitting in public places has been banned.
The Chief Minister appealed to senior citizens and vulnerable persons to remain indoor for the next three months.
The Chief Minister also held a meeting with senior officials of the Finance Department and discussed the extent of adverse impact of the lockdown on the State’s finances.
The Cabinet would meet on Monday and it was expected to announce some concrete measures, sources said.
Restrictions on vehicles to continue; no sale of liquor
The government decide against resuming sale of liquor even after April 20. All modes of mass transport (such as buses and metro trains) will not be functional. Malls and showrooms will continue to stay shut till May 3.
The government, which had initially allowed two wheelers to ply without passes, later reversed the decision. No two wheelers will be allowed till May 3. “Cars with passes are allowed. No more new passes will be issued,” Mr. Yediyurappa said.
Three districts to be treated as one
Mr. Yediyurappa, who chaired a meeting with senior Ministers and officials to review COVID-19 situation in the State on Saturday, said Bengaluru Urban, Bengaluru Rural, and Ramanagaram districts would be treated as one district till May 3 for movement of employees and workers to offices and homes in these three districts.
The decision was taken since a large number of employees commute daily to Bengaluru from Bengaluru Rural and Ramanagaram districts. “They will be considered as one district only for movement of industrial workers,” the Chief Minister said at a press conference.
