The curfew imposed on Sunday as a step to contain the spread of COVID-19 received good response in most of the districts of Kalyana Karnataka region.
Cities and towns across the region wore a deserted look throughout the day as almost all establishments, barring shops and those that offered essential services such as hospitals, pharmacies, grocery shops and petrol pumps remained closed.
North Eastern Karnataka Road Transport Corporation (NEKRTC) buses did not come out of their depots and even autorickshaws were not seen on the roads. With a few private vehicles running, the roads remained almost empty.
Business in market areas, including the Supermarket area in Kalaburagi, and those in Raichur that see heavy crowds on normal days came to a standstill with complete closure of all business establishments and trading units.
During the morning hours, people were found buying milk at road corners and pavements near their residential areas. As the day passed, cities and towns got more deserted. In many places, even grocery shops that were categorised as essential services and exempted from mandatory closure during the curfew also remained closed.
In Kalaburagi city, teams of police personnel were seen marching on the major streets convincing the people of the need to remain indoors and, in certain instances, thrashing people on two-wheelers who were unnecessarily roaming on the streets, and chasing them back to their homes.
There was a mixed response to curfew in Ballari city. Though most of the business establishments were closed, a considerable movement of people was seen in parts of the city. Personnel of the Durga Force, a special police team formed for the protection of women, took out a bicycle ride on the major roads of the city. They were seen at Royal Circle and Bengaluru Road convincing the people of the need to remain indoors. During the curfew last Sunday, Ballari Superintendent of Police C.K. Baba took out a bicycle ride to inculcate COVID-19 awareness among the people.