Bengaluru: In yet another major U-turn in less than 24 hours, the Karnataka government on Thursday withdrew an order issued on Wednesday that imposed a night curfew in the State from December 24 to January 2.
The move comes as the industry and business, especially the hospitality sector, mounted pressure on the government. Almost all tourist centres were overbooked and business in Bengaluru was just picking momentum when the government threw in a wet blanket.
In a fresh statement issued in Thursday, the government said, “After receiving feedback from the public that a night curfew is not needed and after discussing the matter with senior officials, it was decided to withdraw the night curfew.”
“The public should prevent the spread of the virus by self-imposing regulations, wearing masks, maintaining distance, avoiding unnecessary travel and maintaining strict adherence to government-imposed COVID-19 control rules,” the government statement issued on Thursday added.
The note also added that though night curfew has been withdrawn, restrictions on Christmas and New Year’s Eve celebrations will continue to be in place.
On Wednesday, the Chief Secretary issued an order stating that night curfew would be imposed starting Thursday night. Before that, Chief Minister BS Yediyurappa had vowed that curfew would not be imposed at any cost in order to protect the economic environment of the state.
The Wednesday order had said that industries/companies/organizations which require operations at night would be permitted to operate with 50% staff. Movement of employees of such organisations was to be allowed on producing valid ID cards, issued by their respective organization or Institution.
The new order now said that industries or factories which require 24x7 operations will be allowed to operate without any restrictions.
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