Unlock 3.0: Religious places, malls open; transport back to full capacity in Karnataka
Bengaluru: With the Karnataka government further easing restrictions under "Unlock 3.0" effective from Monday, life seems to have returned to normalcy as shops, restaurants, malls, private offices and religious places began their operations in full swing.
Also, all public transport- buses and metro- were seen operating up to its seating capacity.
These services will be available for the public till 9 PM, as the government is imposing night curfew till 5 AM.
With the government allowing places of worship to open only for darshan, people, though fewer in number, were seen visiting temples following COVID precautionary measures at several places in the city.
Similar reports are emerging from across the state.
As offices and business establishments have been allowed to function at full working strength, traffic congestion was seen on streets in Bengaluru and other cities with office-goers getting back to work.
Bangalore Metropolitan Transport Corporation has said that bus services will be operated between 5 AM and 9 PM with all precautionary measures, and 4,500 buses will operate in the city and suburban area.
The corporation said based on passenger volume, services will be increased.
Officials were seen ensuring that there is no overcrowding in buses and passengers don't travel by standing.
Bengaluru Metro has said, Metros will operate from 7 AM to 8 PM from Monday to Friday, with frequency of 5-15 minutes in peak and non-peak hours, and on Saturday, Sunday and general holidays it will be with increased or decreased frequency, depending on the situation.
Customers were seen in good numbers at hotels and restaurants across the city. Also, bars will be open from Monday, but pubs will not.
The new guidelines that were announced by Chief Minister B S Yediyurappa on Saturday, have come into effect from 6 AM on July 5 and will be in force up to 6 AM on July 19.
Bengaluru Police Commissioner Kamal Pant has said that a total of 54 special teams comprising Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) marshals and city police personnel will be deployed across the city to impose fines and register cases on individuals and commercial establishments that violate COVID-19 norms.
"I urge everyone to strictly follow COVID-19 appropriate behaviour for our own safety. Remember, the cases have decreased, but the virus is still around," he has tweeted.
In the guidelines, all shops, restaurants, malls, private offices and closed places have been asked to strictly enforce COVID appropriate behaviour failing which action will be initiated under the Disaster Management Act, 2005.
While, marriages and family functions are permitted to be conducted involving not more than 100 people and strictly adhering to COVID-19 appropriate behaviour and prevailing guidelines, cremation and funerals to be allowed with maximum of 20 people.
While night curfew will continue between 9 PM and 5 AM, the weekend curfew has been lifted.
Theatres, cinema halls and pubs will remain closed, while swimming pools, sports complexes and stadia are permitted for competitive training and practice purposes by strictly adhering to COVID appropriate behaviour.
All social, political, sports, entertainment, academic, cultural, religious functions, other gatherings and large congregations, continue to be prohibited.
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Maharashtra sets up state vaccination task force to strengthen immunisation programme
Mumbai (PTI): The Maharashtra government has set up a State Vaccination Task Force to strengthen the regular immunisation programme and review the progress of related campaigns, a health department official said on Monday.
The State Vaccination Task Force will comprise at least 29 members and will be headed by the administrative head of the health department, he informed.
The government has also constituted separate district-level and municipal vaccination task forces to improve implementation and address challenges at the grassroots level, he said.
Municipal task forces, chaired by respective civic commissioners, have been constituted in view of the vast urban population in Maharashtra and the role of civic bodies in implementing different health programmes.
The district-level task forces will function under the chairmanship of collectors.
"Complete immunisation of children at the appropriate age is an extremely simple, cost-effective and highly effective measure to reduce child mortality and the prevalence of diseases among kids. Immunisation is a powerful tool for reducing illness in children," maintained the official.
To ensure full vaccination of all children, the state government implements various campaigns from time to time as per the central government guidelines, he pointed out.
"Active participation and cooperation of other relevant government departments are essential (in making these campaigns successful)," according to the official.
The state-level body will review the regular immunisation programme, associated campaigns and vaccine-preventable diseases in detail. It will also conduct focused assessments of high-risk districts and municipal corporations, including vacancies at district, municipal and sub-district levels, availability of cold chain equipment, resource gaps and training requirements, he noted.
The state task force will review allocation and utilisation of funds for immunisation and ensure timely action by officers concerned based on reports from district and municipal task forces and state-level monitoring mechanisms, the official said.
It will also ensure active coordination and participation of other government departments in immunisation drives, while district and municipal task forces will carry out similar functions at their respective levels, the official added.
