As the state battles the devastating second wave of the Covid-19 pandemic, the Karnataka government decided on Friday to prolong the continuing lockdown until 6 a.m. on June 7.
Karnataka is reportedly on lockout until the 24th of May.
BS Yediyurappa, the Chief Minister of Karnataka, told reporters, “We were under stringent restrictions until the 24th of May. We are continuing the stringent constraints until June 7th at 6 a.m., based on expert advice.”
After meeting with state officials and ministers, Chief Minister B.S. Yediyurappa declared his decision.
“In view of public health and the suggestions of the experts, the restrictions have been extended, and we expect people’s cooperation,” CM Yediyurappa said.
“I appeal to the people to abide by the COVID appropriate behavior of wearing facemasks in public places, maintaining hygiene and social distancing in public places,” he added.
As the number of Covid-19 cases increased, the Karnataka government declared a 14-day “close down” beginning April 27. However, as the number of cases increased, the government enforced a full lockdown from May 10 to 24.
With the latest lockout set to expire early next week, many politicians, including ministers, have voiced support for continuing it in order to contain Covid’s expansion.
They believe that the latest lockdown is having an impact, as the number of new cases is steadily declining.
In Karnataka, the number of new Covid-19 cases is decreasing, with the state reporting 28,869 new cases on Thursday, outnumbering recoveries with 52,257 discharges.
The number of deaths, however, remained high, at 548.
Though there have been 23,35,524 infections in the state so far, there have been 23,854 deaths.
There were 5,34,954 active cases in all.
The state has registered over 30,000 new cases in the last two days, up from about 40,000 last week.
However, there have been questions raised about a drop in the number of tests performed.
