Lockdown extended in 11 districts in K'taka; unlocking to begin in other districts from June 14
Bengaluru, Jun 10: COVID-19 induced lockdown measures will continue in 11 districts of Karnataka which have a high positivity rate till June 21, while some relaxations will be given in the rest of the state from June 14, Chief Minister B S Yediyurappa said on Thursday.
He also said that the COVID curfew will be imposed from 7 PM to 5 AM and weekend curfew will be imposed from 7 PM on Friday to 5 AM on Monday, after the current lockdown in the state comes to end on June 14.
"Current restrictions will continue in all eleven districts with high positivity rate till 6am on June 21, in the rest of the districts some of the restrictions have been relaxed. However, concerned Deputy Commissioners and District in-charge Ministers can take a call to impose more restrictions in their districts," Yediyurappa said.
Speaking to reporters after meeting with senior Ministers and officials, he said the decision has been taken based on suggestions made by the COVID-19 Technical Advisory Committee, consisting of experts.
"In districts with high positivity rate- Chikkamagaluru, Shivamogga, Davangere, Mysuru, Chamarajanagara, Hassan, Dakshina Kannada, Bengaluru Rural, Mandya, Belagavi and in Kodagu- there will be no changes in the current guidelines," he added.
The relaxation in lockdown measures will be in place from 6 AM on June 14 to 6 AM on June 21.
Noting that restrictions are being relaxed in the rest of the state other than 11 districts, the Chief Minister said, all industries have been permitted to operate with 50 per cent staff strength, but garment industries can operate with 30 per cent staff strength.
Shops selling essential goods have been permitted to operate till 2 PM by extending their duration from 10 AM earlier; also all construction activities will be permitted, and shops needed for construction activities like cement, steel among others have also been allowed to open, he said.
Parks will be opened from 5 AM to 10 AM for walkers, street vendors can do their business from 6 AM to 2 PM, and auto and taxis are allowed to ply with maximum two passengers, he added.
If the situation comes under control as per the expectations it will help the government to announce further relaxations, Yediyurappa said as he sought the cooperation of everyone in this regard.
Responding to a question on public transport buses and functioning of government officers, he said for now buses are not permitted to operate, while important departments of the government can operate with 50 per cent staff.
Hotels and restaurants will continue to do parcel service and bars will be open for takeaways till 2 PM.
The Karnataka government had initially announced 14 days 'close-down' from April 27, but subsequently imposed a complete lockdown from May 10 to May 24, as the COVID cases continued to spike.
Citing lockdown yielding results and experts' advice, it was further extended till June 7 and then again till June 14.
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Instagram removes BJP’s post claiming Cong ‘will snatch wealth of non-muslims’ following backlash
New Delhi: An animated video post shared on BJP’s official Instagram handle, asserting that the Congress party would snatch wealth from non-Muslims to ‘distribute it to its favorite community of invaders,’ has sparked significant backlash. Following the uproar, the photo sharing platform has taken down the post, reports Newslaundry.com.
Meanwhile, it is uncertain whether the post was removed by the BJP or by Instagram following mass reporting by several users as “misinformation” and “hate speech”. The video depicted Rahul Gandhi holding the Congress manifesto which transforms into the logo of the Muslim league. Furthermore, it sought support for PM Modi from every ‘Bharatiya,’ who is also shown wearing a saffron turban.
According to the report, it also contained a clip of PM Modi alleging that the former PM Manmohan Singh had said, “Muslims have the first claim on our resources,” insinuating that if the Congress were to assume power, it would confiscate the money and assets of non-Muslims, redistributing them to Muslims, whom it favored. Labeling Muslims as ‘infiltrators’, the video depicted historical invaders as looters who plundered India's resources and suggested that the Congress party continues to empower individuals from the same community.
The video then communicated that the Congress party’s manifesto is “nothing but Muslim league’s ideology in disguise. If you are a non-Muslim, Congress will snatch your wealth and distribute it to Muslims.” It also slinged the BJP’s official slogan ‘abki baar, 400 paar,’ and called that it was the need of the hour, since Modi only has the “strength to stop the Congress party’s evil plans.”
Similar claims have also been made by several BJP leaders. Recently, Union Minister Anurag Thakur stated that the Congress intends to “Give your children's property to Muslims.”
