Karnataka ministers want the lockdown to be lifted after June 7

Bengaluru: As the Covid cases are gradually declining in the state, several stakeholders, including cabinet ministers are forcing chief minister BS Yediyurappa to end the lockdown and restart the economic activities.

Health experts have advised the government to enforce stringent Covid protocols, however, they also support lifting the restriction in a calibrated manner to ensure that lives and livelihoods are protected. Yediyurappa is also in favor of the idea of balancing strict safety measures to keep the cases in control and gradual opening up of the economic sector.

On Sunday, Yediyurappa stated that it is not necessary to extend the lockdown but the decision on lifting the lockdown would depend on the situation at that time.

He said, “We are discussing it (lifting of lockdown). Since the present lockdown will continue till June 7, we will review the situation around June 5. We will consult experts and ministers before taking a decision. While the overall situation has improved, the level of infection is still high in some districts, contrary to our expectation.”

About the Centre’s recent guidelines to extend the lockdown till the end of June, Yediyurappa said that states have been given the freedom to decide on the extension of lockdown according to the local considerations.

In the meantime, many colleagues of Yediyurappa are in favour of lifting the lockdown. Cooperation minister ST Somashekhar said, “The pandemic situation is expected to improve further in the next week and there is no requirement of lockdown after June 7. Our appeal to the chief minister is that the lockdown should not be extended.”

Forest minister Aravind Limbavali said that the CM should have a different approach to this matter. He said, ‘We should have microcontainment measures at village and ward levels where the infection is spreading and lift the lockdown in areas where the situation is under control.”

Also, many ministers have requested the government to ramp up the vaccination drive so that any new surge is neutralised.

Yediyurappa has got various suggestion regarding the lifting of restriction in four or five phases. In the first phase, standalone retail shops would be opened, whereas, in the later phases, places like shopping malls and cinema halls will be allowed to function.

Educational institutions and other places where people gather will only open in the last phase. The guidelines issued by the Union ministry of home affairs state that a lockdown is not necessary if the positivity rate is less than 10%.

Karnataka’s positivity rate has declined remarkably from 45% in mid-May to 14.6% on Sunday. The government expects it to decline further in places like Bengaluru, where cases reached the peak much earlier than in other parts of the state.

But, state home minister Basavaraj Bommai said, “We are yet to bring the positivity rate under control. Even the number of fresh cases should come down. The next one week is crucial and people should ensure the curve is further flattened, otherwise it would be difficult to relax the lockdown.”

Industries minister Jagadish Shettar said that Delhi has also extended the lockdown even though the positivity rate there had fallen below 10%. He said, “We have a lockdown in place till June 7 in the state. Since no one just which way the positivity rate will go, we cannot say anything for certain at this stage.”