Karnataka CM announces Unlock 2.0: More relaxations announced in 16 districts

Night curfew will continue to be enforced from 7 pm to 5 am, while weekend curfew will be in place from Friday 7 pm to Monday 5 am across the state

Karnataka has further relaxed the Covid-19 restrictions in 16 districts, including Bengaluru, starting from June 21, allowing all shops to function and public transport to resume operations.

These 16 districts are those where the Covid-19 positivity rate is below 5 per cent, Chief Minister BS Yediyurappa said.

In these 16 districts, shops will be open from 6 am to 5 pm beginning Monday. The government has also decided to operate public transport including bus and metro with 50 per cent capacity.

The new rules will be applicable in Bengaluru Urban, Uttara Kannada, Belagavi, Mandya, Koppala, Chikkaballapur, Tumakuru, Kolar, Gadag, Raichur, Bagalkot , Kalaburagi, Haveri, Ramanagara, Yadgir and Bidar.

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Hotels, clubs and restaurants will be open for service until 5 pm with 50 per cent seating, but liquor will not be permitted. Lodges and resorts will be permitted to take bookings up to 50 per cent, while gyms will also be allowed to function at half capacity. All these places will have to ensure that they do not run the air conditioning, he said.

Outdoor sports activities will be allowed without spectators, while outdoor film shooting has also been given permission. Private offices can function up to half their capacity, Yediyurappa said.

However, there will be a curfew in place between 7 pm and 5 am on weekdays and a weekend curfew will be in place from 7 pm on Friday evening to 5 am on Monday morning throughout the state.

Swimming pools, places of worship, political events, educational institutions, shopping malls, pubs and amusement parks will continue to remain shut.

As for the rest of the districts that have a positivity rate of more than 5 per cent, the existing relaxation which was in place from June 11, will apply.

Mysuru, where the positivity rate is more than 10 per cent, will continue to remain under a strict lockdown until July 5.

Yediyurappa said the relaxation of the lockdown was done in the interest of businesses and to protect the livelihoods of small enterprises. "The Covid pandemic threat still looms large upon us. I request the public to cooperate and wear masks in public places," he said.