Amidst the news of a new mutated strain of the coronavirus, the Karnataka government has announced a night curfew till January 2, 2021, between 10pm to 6am.
“Given the new strain of Covid-19, we have decided to impose night curfew from December 23 to January 2 between 10pm to 6am. I request everyone to cooperate,” Karnataka Chief Minister BS Yediyurappa said.
The cause for this curfew is the new Covid-19 strain, first identified in the United Kingdom. The state government has added that international passengers travelling or transiting from the UK must compulsorily undergo the Covid-19 RT-PCR tests within 72 hours of arriving in the state.
Karnataka has become the second state following Maharashtra’s decision to impose a night curfew earlier this week. This curfew means that there will be no Christmas or New Year’s Eve mass celebration in Karnataka after 10pm.
On December 22, Maharashtra imposed a 7-hour curfew till January 5, 2021, between 11pm to 6am. Other than the new Covid-19 strain, the Maharashtra government has stated two other reasons for the curfew. Firstly, the state government has observed that across Mumbai, people have repeatedly violating social distancing norms. Secondly, Maharashtra has the highest number of Covid-19 cases in the country. So, to prevent Covid-19 cases from rising further as Christmas and New Year’s Eve celebrations are on the horizon, the state government decided to place a night curfew.
