Karnataka Lockdown Relaxation: Lockdown norms partially relaxed in Karnataka from today

The Karnataka government has partially relaxed COVID-19 lockdown norms in the state allowing IT and IT-enabled services to operate with essential minimum staff and also certain construction activities, manufacturing of packaging materials, courier services, among others from Thursday.

The activities will be permitted only outside the COVID-19 containment zones identified by the government.

There were reports of some large-scale traffic movement in some parts of the city this morning as lockdown curbs were relaxed.

“To mitigate hardship to the public, select additional activities have been allowed,which will come into effect from 00.00 hours of April 23,” Chief Secretary TM Vijay Bhaskar had said in an order on Wednesday.

However, these additional activities will be operationalised by District Administrations and BBMP (city corporation in the case of Bengaluru city) based on strict compliance to the guidelines on lockdown measures, it said.

Before operationalising these relaxations, district administrations and BBMP (city corporation) shall ensure that all the preparatory arrangements on social distancing in offices, work place establishments as also sectoral requirements are in place, it added.

IT and IT-enabled services will be allowed to operate with essential minimum staff only while the rest would work from home.

Official sources said, IT companies will work on essential staff required to work from office spaces and will mobilise them.

Earlier on April 18, Chief Minister B S Yediyurappa, hours after announcing that IT/BT companies can resume operations with 33 per cent strength after April 20, had rolled it back, citing public opinion as the reason.

Facing a financial crunch, the state government has been eager to kick-start economic activities in the state that had come to halt due to the coronavirus lockdown.

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