Mangaluru: Mangaluru city and suburban areas in Dakshina Kannada wore a deserted look on Sunday with the people fully backing the total lockdown clamped by the district administration in the wake of increasing number of coronavirus cases.
The total lockdown is set to continue on all Sundays till August 2 unless otherwise notified.
Shops and business establishments were closed and vehicles kept off the roads. Only essential services, including hospitals, ambulance services and supply of essential items are allowed.
All roads in the city were free of traffic and markets remained closed. Police have been deployed in all areas to check lockdown violations.
In Udupi also, normal life was paralysed with the total lockdown. Only shops selling essential goods were open, while buses and private vehicles kept off the roads.
A total of 1,095 COVID-19 cases and 22 deaths have been reported in DK till Saturday, while Udupi recorded 1,277 cases and three deaths.





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Bhatkal: The Karnataka unit of the All India Ideal Teachers Association (AIITA) has welcomed the Karnataka government’s decision to strictly ban school children from dancing to obscene songs during educational and cultural programmes in government, aided, and private schools across the state.
AIITA Karnataka State President M. R. Manvi congratulated the government for taking what he termed an important step to preserve the sanctity of education.
“Such decisions to safeguard the dignity of school children and uphold the values of education are the need of the hour. This rule should not be limited to government schools alone but must be strictly implemented in all private educational institutions as well,” he said.
He further urged the government to address other concerns within school programmes.
“The government should not only prohibit obscene dances in the name of school anniversaries, but also ensure that plays and dialogues that incite religious hatred are avoided. Schools should be centres of harmony, not platforms for spreading hatred,” he added.
According to a recent circular issued by the Department of School Education and Literacy, obscene dances are adversely affecting the mental health and moral values of students.
In this regard, schools have been advised to use songs that promote nationalism, positive thinking, the greatness of Kannada culture, and value-based traditions instead of inappropriate content during programmes.
The circular also emphasises that students should be dressed in decent attire.
AIITA also backed the department’s warning that disciplinary action would be taken against head teachers if such guidelines are violated. The association has further demanded that district Deputy Directors of Public Instruction strictly monitor the implementation of these rules.
