Night curfew starts from tonight as Bengaluru records the highest ever Covid cases

Bengaluru: The government announced that it will strictly implement curfew from 10 pm -5 am as the state witnessed a single-day spike of nearly 8,000 positive Covid cases on Friday. The curfew will start from Saturday in Bengaluru and seven other cities across the state.

The state saw 7,995 Covid cases and 46 deaths, whereas, the number of people admitted to ICU reached 378. Bengaluru witnessed 5,576 cases which is the highest since the pandemic hit the state. Before this, the highest number of Covid positive cases in a single day was 5,121 on October 8, 2020.

Health Minister, K Sudhakar said, “It is high time the pandemic is taken seriously by all. We need to break the chain of transmission.” He has urged people to follow the Covid protocols such as wearing masks, sanitising hands at frequent intervals and avoiding crowded places.

The situation in Bengaluru is a matter of concern now. The positivity rate has gone up to 7.22% on Friday. The city reported 29 deaths and out of these, 21 were senior citizens.

“Hotels, eateries and other commercial establishments interacting with the public can not run beyond 10 pm. Firms, offices, companies operating night shifts can run the show but without appearing in the public. For instance, a software engineer on night shift should make sure he or she reaches the office before 10 pm and leaves after 5 am the next day. The main objective is to avoid unnecessary movement of citizens,” Bengaluru city police commissioner, Kamal Pant stated.

The order stated that the curfew will be from 10 pm and 5 am from Saturday till the morning of April 21.

The government has restricted all types of commercial activities except for medical and emergency services, in Bengaluru, Mysuru, Mangaluru, Udupi, Manipal, Bidar, Kalaburagi and Tumakuru. The government order passed prohibits the movement of people at night without valid reasons.

A health official said, “We hope that the restrictions imposed during the night will slow the spread of Covid.” People violating the order will be booked under the Disaster Management Act, the Karnataka Epidemic Diseases Act 2020 and the Indian Penal Code and their vehicles shall be seized.