The Karnataka government, in its latest announcement, has declared for the schools to reopen along with the lifting of night curfews. This decision has been based on the report by the Technical Advisory Committee (TAC). As per sources, Revenue Minister R Ashok has stated that the night curfew will be withdrawn from January 31, 2022 onwards. The recovery rate of the COVID-19 cases has been increasing lately due to which the government has come to this decision.
Classes from 1 to 9 have been ordered to be conducted in the offline mode. Earlier, weekend curfews were imposed in the state keeping in mind the surge in COVID-19 cases. This time, the severity of the virus has been seen to be less and hence the officials have decided to lift night curfews. The concerned departments have been directed to ensure that the SOPs are properly followed.
In Shivamogga of Karnataka, the classes are reported to continue in the Anganwadi centres. As per the director of the department of woman and child development, the Anganwadis were shut down during the second wave of the COVID-19 pandemic. However, they have completely reopened based on the government’s decision to enforce 50% working capacity.
Other Relaxations
According to the minister, public transport, pubs, restaurants and government offices have been ordered to function in full capacity. Nevertheless, although cinema halls and multiplexes can remain open, they can function only in 50% capacity. In the case of marriages, 300 people will be allowed in open spaces and 200 people in closed spaces. Moreover, all sorts of religious places will remain open but people will have to abide by necessary COVID-19 protocols. The metro rail and other public transport will run as per their usual seating capacity.
Present COVID-19 Situation
The state has made an analysis of the genome sequencing carried out. According to reports, 67.5% of the infections are found to be triggered by the Omicron variant while 26% of them are due to the Delta variant. There seems to be a contrast with the second wave of the COVID-19 pandemic as more than 90% of the infections were dominated by the Delta variant.
The overall hospitalization in the state has now come to 1.90%. Out of the 2.88 lakh active cases, 5477 people have been hospitalized. This report is based on the statement by minister K Sudhakar. Despite all relaxations from Monday onwards, protests, political programmes, religious congregations, etc. are still prohibited.
