BENGALURU: The Karnataka government is eagerly awaiting guidelines from the Union government on lockdown 4.0, expected to be spelt out on Sunday. The state is keen on restarting economic activity in red zones too, considering cities are hubs of commercial activity, but is sceptical if the Centre will give permission for the same.
Karnataka has asked the Centre to identify clusters and localities as red zones, instead of categorising whole districts, so that economic activities can resume. The government is also hoping to allow skeletal public transport with ample social distancing norms.
App-based cab aggregators, however, are unlikely to ply in red zones but a final decision will be taken once the Centre releases guidelines. The government is not keen on opening malls, cinema halls or places of worship. The pre-monsoon season is the time for festivals and village fairs, and the government has its doubts about crowd control if places of worship are allowed to open.
Malls, cinema halls and parks, which attract heavy footfall, are also likely to remain closed. “We are confident the Centre will ease restrictions on almost all things by May 17,” Chief Minister B S Yediyurappa said on Friday.