U-turn: K'taka goes back on night curfew decision a day after imposing it
The Karnataka government which imposed night curfew from today (December 24) till January 2, has decided to withdraw it.
The Karnataka government which imposed night curfew from Thursday (December 24) till January 2 as a precaution against the spread of COVID due to year-end revelry, has decided to withdraw it.
“In view of the public opinion that there was no need for night curfew, the decision was reviewed and after consulting with Cabinet colleagues and senior officials it has been decided to withdraw the night curfew,” Karnataka Chief Minister B S Yediyurappa said.
“Night curfew will be imposed across Karnataka starting December 24 until January 1, 2021, (5 AM on January 2nd, 2021) between 11:00 PM to 5:00 AM. The midnight Christmas Mass on Dec 24th night shall be permitted and guidelines shall be followed,” the Chief Minister’s Office had said on Wednesday.
Night curfew will be imposed across Karnataka starting 24th December 2020 until January 1st, 2021 (5 AM on January 2nd, 2021) between 11:00 PM to 5:00 AM. The midnight Christmas Mass on Dec 24th night shall be permitted and guidelines shall be followed.
— CM of Karnataka (@CMofKarnataka) December 23, 2020
Earlier on Wednesday, Yediyurappa had said night curfew would be imposed from December 23 to January 2, from 10 pm to 6 am. However, the date and the timings were changed later in the day. Now, the government has done a complete U-turn.
According to the state government, the decision to bring back night curfew was taken due to a new COVID strain in the UK. It had said the decision was taken as per the advice of Technical Advisory Committee (TAC) for COVID-19.
“TAC had recommended imposing night curfews from 8 pm onwards as a precautionary measure. However, after much deliberation we decided to restrict movement of individuals from 11 pm to 5 am,” Karnataka Health Minister K Sudhakar had said on Thursday.
The opposition Congress had questioned the decision. “This is a government which is not accountable. It tries to divert public attention through various means. How does the night curfew help containing the coronavirus?” Karnataka Congress chief D K Shivakumar asked.
