Karnataka govt lifts night curfew, decides to reopen schools from Monday
Bengaluru, Jan 29: The Karnataka government on Saturday decided to lift the night curfew and start regular classes for Classes 1 to 9 from January 31.
It also decided to continue with the mandatory RT-PCR tests for passengers coming from Maharashtra, Kerala and Goa.
"There will be no night curfew from January 31. The night curfew curbs have been lifted," Karnataka Revenue Minister R Ashoka briefed reporters after a high-level meeting with the experts and officials, which was chaired by Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai.
Minister for Primary and Secondary Education B C Nagesh, who accompanied Ashoka, said all the schools will open from January 31.
"Schools from first (Class 1) to ninth standard (Class 9) were closed due to COVID-19 third wave. From Monday, all the classes will open. Everyone has to follow COVID-appropriate behaviour as recommended by the experts," Nagesh said.
He explained that if anyone tests positive for coronavirus in a class, that particular class will remain shut and every child will undergo test but the school will function as usual.
Nagesh said the deputy commissioner of the district concerned will decide how long the class should remain shut.
According to Ashoka, other decisions taken in the meeting were that the public transport vehicles will accept passengers as per the sitting capacity.
The government allowed pubs, bars, restaurants, and hotels to remain open completely and allow 100 per cent occupancy.
However, only 50 per cent of the occupancy will be allowed in the cinema halls, multiplexes, swimming pools, gyms, sports complexes and stadia.
For marriages, 300 people will be allowed to congregate in open spaces and 200 people in closed spaces. Similarly, offices will now have 100 per cent occupancy.
The government also permitted all kinds of services at the religious places. However, only 50 per cent of capacity at the religious places will continue.
Fairs, rallies, sit-in demonstration, protests, social gatherings and religious gatherings have been prohibited.
In view of the rising COVID-19 cases in the state, the government had imposed curbs including night curfew and weekend curfew from January 4.
Since the hospitalisation and fatalities are much less than the first and second wave of COVID-19, the government decided to ease curbs, officials told PTI.
According to state Health Minister Dr K Sudhakar, the overall hospitalisation on Friday was 1.9 per cent.
"Overall hospitalisation rate in Karnataka as of Jan 28th is 1.90%. 5,477 people of the 2.88 lakh active cases are hospitalised. Patients in Non-oxygenated beds: 1.24%, Patients in Oxygenated beds: 0.42%, Patients in ICU/Ventillators: 0.24%," Sudhakar tweeted on Saturday.
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Another North Goa nightclub sealed; Kejriwal says corruption led to fire tragedy
Panaji (PTI): As part of a crackdown against tourist establishments violating laws and safety norms in the aftermath of the Arpora fire tragedy, Goa authorities on Saturday sealed a renowned club at Vagator and revoked the fire department NOC of another club.
Cafe CO2 Goa, located on a cliff overlooking the Arabian Sea at Vagator beach in North Goa, was sealed. The move came two days after Goya Club, also in Vagator, was shut down for alleged violations of rules.
Elsewhere, campaigning for local body polls, AAP leader Arvind Kejriwal said the fire incident at Birch by Romeo Lane nightclub at Arpora, which claimed 25 lives on December 6, happened because the BJP government in the state was corrupt.
An inspection of Cafe CO2 Goa by a state government-appointed team revealed that the establishment, with a seating capacity of 250, did not possess a no-objection certificate (NOC) of the Fire and Emergency Services Department. The club, which sits atop Ozrant Cliff, also did not have structural stability, the team found.
The Fire and Emergency Services on Saturday also revoked the NOC issued to Diaz Pool Club and Bar at Anjuna as the fire extinguishers installed in the establishment were found to be inadequate, said divisional fire officer Shripad Gawas.
A notice was issued to Nitin Wadhwa, the partner of the club, he said in the order.
Campaigning at Chimbel village near Panaji in support of his party's Zilla Panchayat election candidate, Aam Aadmi Party leader Kejriwal said the nightclub fire at Arpora happened because of the "corruption of the Pramod Sawant-led state government."
"Why this fire incident happened? I read in the newspapers that the nightclub had no occupancy certificate, no building licence, no excise licence, no construction licence or trade licence. The entire club was illegal but still it was going on," he said.
"How could it go on? Couldn't Pramod Sawant or anyone else see it? I was told that hafta (bribe) was being paid," the former Delhi chief minister said.
A person can not work without bribing officials in the coastal state, Kejriwal said, alleging that officers, MLAs and even ministers are accepting bribes.
