BENGALURU: With the number of COVID-19 cases in the state increasing, especially along the border, the Karnataka government on Friday decided to impose a weekend curfew in districts bordering Kerala and Maharashtra and strictly enforce night curfew across the state from 9 pm to 5 am.
The government also decided to reopen schools in a graded manner. While Classes 9 to 12 will start from August 23 by following all COVID-19 protocols, a decision on reopening classes up to 8th standard will be taken in the last week of August after reviewing the COVID-19 situation.
A detailed order on the weekend curfew and guidelines on reopening of schools and colleges will be issued later on Friday.
Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai held a meeting with senior officers and experts to discuss measures required to be taken to contain the COVID-19 spread in the state.
The surge in the number of COVID-19 cases in neighbouring Kerala and Maharashtra is a cause of concern for the state government and officials in border districts have been directed to closely monitor the situation. RTPCR negative reports have been made mandatory for all those arriving in Karnataka from Kerala and Maharashtra.
While the state government’s decision to make RTPCR negative reports mandatory, irrespective of vaccination status, has been criticized by people travelling from neighbouring states, Chief Minister Bommai on Friday made it clear that there was no change in the government's decision.