COVID Curfew: Karnataka Govt issues new Guidelines

Bengaluru, May 07, 2021: The State government has issued new guidelines related to COVID curfew. An order in connection to this has been issued by the state government today. This will be effective from 6 am on May 10 to 6 am on May 24.

1. The guidelines shall continue to remain in force from 6 am on 10-05-2021 and will be in force including and upto 6 am of 24-05-2021.
2. The following activities will be prohibited throughout the State:

a. Only flights and trains scheduled will continue to operate during this period. Flight and train tickets shall serve as the passes for movement of persons by personal vehicles/taxis/cab aggregators/autorickshaws to board flight and trains.

b. Metro rail services.

c. Taxis (including auto rickshaws) and services of cab aggregators, except while hired for emergency and as permitted in these guidelines.

d. Schools, colleges, educational/coaching institutions etc. will remain closed. Online/ distance learning shall continue to be permitted and shall be encouraged.

e. Hotels, restaurants, and hospitality services, except those meant for housing health/ police/ Government officials/ healthcare workers/ stranded persons including tourists, quarantine facility and Step Down Hospitals. However, hotels, restaurants and eateries shall be permitted to operate kitchens for take away/home delivery of food items only. No vehicles will be allowed to be used by persons for taking parcels/takeaway. Only movement by walk is allowed for this
purpose. However, hotels, restaurants and eateries can use vehicles for home delivery.

f. All cinema halls, shopping malls, gymnasiums, sports complexes, stadia, playgrounds, swimming pools, parks, entertainment parks, clubs, theatres, bars and auditoriums, assembly halls and similar places.

g. All social/ political/ sports/ entertainment/ academic/ cultural/religious functions/ other gatherings and large congregations.

h. All religious places/ places of worship shall be closed for public.

3. Only the following Offices of the State Government and their Autonomous Bodies, Corporations, etc. shall function (outside containment Zone).

a. Health, Medical Education, Police, Home Guards, Prisons, Civil Defence, Fire and Emergency Services, Disaster Management, Revenue, and Prisons.

b. All offices operating and maintaining essential services such as Electricity, Water, Sanitation, etc.

c. BBMP, Urban Local Bodies, Deputy Commissioners Office and Subordinate Offices. 1

d. Separate guidelines will be issued for functioning of Secretariat Offices in Vidhana Soudha, Vikas Soudha and MS Building by the DPAR.

e. Courts and Offices related to judicial work shall Operate as per the guidelines issued by the Hon’ble High Court.

f. All Offices, Officers, staff deputed for COVID related work.

g. Offices and volunteers of NGO’s deployed by BBMP, Urban Local Bodies and Deputy Commissioners or otherwise for COVID 19 related work.

h. Treasury offices.

i. All operations related to forestry as declared by Forest Department.

All other offices shall work from home. All staff who are given COVID 19 duty by BBMP/Deputy Commissioners shall report for COVID related duty.

4. Only the following Offices of the Government of India, its Autonomous/ Subordinate Offices and Public Corporations shall function ( outside containment Zones).

a. Defence, Defence PSUs, central armed police forces, and Telecommunication.

b. Offices operating and maintaining essential services (Telecom, etc).

c. Treasury (including, Pay & Accounts Offices, Financial Advisers and field offices of the Controller General of Accounts, with bare minimum staff).

d. Public utilities (including petroleum, CNG, LPG, PNG), power generation and transmission units, post offices, Disaster management and Early Warning Agencies.

e. National Informatics Centre.

f. Customs clearance at airports/land border, GSTN; and MCA 21 Registry
with bare minimum staff.

g. Banks, Reserve Bank of India, RBI regulated financial markets and Microfinance Institutions, entities like NPCI, CCIL, payment system operators and standalone primary dealers with bare minimum staff.

h. Railways and related operations .

5. All health Services (including AYUSH and Veterinary Hospitals) to remain functional, such as: (outside containment zone)

a. All hospitals nursing homes, clinics, labs, collection centers, Telemedicine facilities, dispensaries, pharmacies, chemist, Jan Aushadhi Kendras, Blood banks, home care providers and all kinds of medicine shops including medical equipment shops.

b. All pharmaceutical and research labs.

c. Movement (inter and intra State, inter and intra district) of all medical, paramedics, nurses, scientists, lab technicians, mid-wives and other hospital support services.

d. All manufacturing units of drugs, pharmaceuticals, medical devices, medical oxygen, their packing material, raw material and intermediates.

e. All construction pertaining to medical/health infrastructure.

6. Agriculture and related activities(outside containment zone):

All agriculture and allied activities are allowed. Shops and godowns, related to farming, custom hiring centers, machineries are permitted from 6 am to 10 am outside containment zones. Allied activities include Fisheries, Poultry, Meat, Dairy ete.

7. Social Sector: following to remain functional outside containment zone

a. Operation of homes for children/disabled/mentally challenged/senior citizens/destitutes/women/widows, etc.

b. Observation homes, after care homes and places of safety for juveniles.

8. Unrestricted movement of all types of goods and cargo (outside containment zone):

a. All facilities in the supply chain of essential goods, whether involved in manufacturing, wholesale or retail of such goods through stores, or e-Commerce companies shall be allowed to operate adhering to National Directives for COVID 19 management.

b. Movement of all types of goods including empty goods vehicles.

9. Movement of individuals is strictly prohibited except as permitted below:

• No movement of Public or Private buses or passenger vehicles except as permitted under these guidelines.
• Inter-State and Intra-State movement of passenger vehicles, only in cases of emergencies or as permitted under these guidelines.
• Intra-district movement of passenger vehicles and buses only in emergency cases and strictly adhering to the prevailing SOPs/guidelines issued by Department of Health and Family Welfare.
• Movement of Officers/personnel traveling with valid ID card issued by their Organization/Institution to the place of work and back for permitted activities in these guidelines.
• Movement of Officers/Staff of High Court of Karnataka, Officers/Staff of District Judiciary holding official ID Card are permitted even beyond office hours to attend official work at High Court, Home Office of Hon’ble Chief Justice/other Hon’ble Judges and respective offices at the districts.
• Passenger vehicles including Airport Buses/Taxis/ Auto Rickshaws to and fro from Railway stations and Airports are permitted. Movement will be allowed only on displaying valid travel documents/tickets.
• Autos and taxis (including cab aggregators) are permitted for travel related to emergency purpose.
• Patients and their attendants/persons requiring emergency need for movement shall be allowed to move. Movement for the purpose of vaccination and testing shall be permitted with minimal proof.

10.The following Commercial and private establishment are allowed

• Shops dealing with food, groceries, fruits and vegetables, meat and fish, and animal fodder shall be allowed to function from 6 am to 10am. Public Distribution System shops are allowed. Take away only is allowed from Standalone liquor shops and outlets, from 6 am to 10am. Sale of vegetables and fruits through push carts is allowed from 6 am to 6 pm. Milk booths and Hopcom outlets are allowed from 6 am to 6 pm. Home delivery of essential items shall be
  encouraged 24×7 to minimize movement of individuals outside their homes. Operations shall be subject to adhering to National Directives for COVID 19 management.
• All food processing and related industries.
• Banks, insurance offices and ATM.
• Print and electronic media.
• Telecommunication, internet services, broadcasting and cable services.
• Employees and vehicles of Telecom and Internet Service providers shall be allowed unrestricted movement on producing valid ID card issued by their respective organization/institution.
• Only essential staff/employees of IT and ITeS companies /organization shall work from office. Rest will work from home.
• Delivery of all items through E-Commerce and home delivery.
• Power generation, transmission and distribution units and services.
• Capital and debt market services and notified by the Securities and Exchange Board of India.
• Cold storage and warehousing services.
• Private security services.
• Aviation and related services (airlines, airports, maintenance, cargo, ground services, catering, fueling, security, etc) are permitted.

11. Industries/Industrial Establishments/Production units (both Government and Private) as listed below will be allowed to operate (outside Containment Zone) adhering to National Directives for COVID Management

a. Manufacturing units of essential commodities.

b. Production Units which require continuous process

c. Industries/Industrial Establishments/Production units (both Government and Private) operating with In-situ Staff/Workers.

12.Construction activities with in-situ labourers/workers will be allowed outside containment zone adhering to National Directives for COVID 19 management. Works related to pre-monsoon preparation/road construction activity
is permitted.

13.Marriages already scheduled are permitted strictly adhering to COVID 19 appropriate behaviour with a maximum of 50 people.

14.Cremation/Funeral Cremation/Funerals to be allowed with maximum of 5 people adhering to
COVID 19 appropriate behavior

a) BBMP and District & Local Authorities shall take all necessary measures to promote COVID-19 appropriate behaviour. Strict enforcement of wearing of face masks, hand hygiene and social distancing must be ensured.

b) Wearing of face masks is an essential preventive measure. In order to enforce this core requirement, BBMP, District Authorities and Local Authorities shall impose fine of Rs.250 in Municipal Corporation Areas and Rs.100 in other areas for not wearing face cover as required.

c) The National Directives for COVID-19 Management shall be strictly followed throughout the State.