PremiumThe Karnataka government on Friday decided to extend the ongoing lockdown till 6 am on 7 June as the state continues to battle the deadly second wave of the Covid-19 pandemic.
Karnataka is currently under complete lockdown till 24 May.
Speaking to reporters, Karnataka Chief Minister BS Yediyurappa said, "We had strict restrictions till 24th May. As per the opinion of experts, we are extending the strict restrictions till 7th June at 6 am."
CM Yediyurappa announced his decision after holding discussions with senior officials and ministers of the state.
"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 behaviour of wearing facemasks in public places, maintaining hygiene and social distancing in public places," he added.
The Karnataka government had initially announced 14 days "close down" from 27 April, but subsequently imposed a complete lockdown from 10 May to 24 May, as the Covid-19 cases continued to rise.
With the current lockdown ending early next week, several leaders, including ministers, have expressed themselves in favour of extending it, to control the spread of Covid.
They are of the opinion that the current lockdown is yielding results with the number of fresh cases gradually decreasing.
The number of fresh Covid-19 cases in Karnataka is witnessing a decline, as the state on Thursday reported 28,869 new cases, which was outnumbered by recoveries with 52,257 discharges.
However, the number of fatalities continued to remain high at 548.
While the total number of infections in the state so far stood at 23,35,524, the death toll was at 23,854.
The total number of active cases was 5,34,954.
The state during the last two days had reported over 30,000 fresh cases, which was around 40,000 last week.
However, there are concerns being raised about a decline in the number of tests being done.
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