BENGALURU: Insinuating that there is no relaxation in the new set of guidelines issued by the state government, amid pressure from various quarters, Karnataka Health Minister K Sudhakar said on Saturday that it was inevitable to take certain strict measures so that things don’t get out of hand. .
He said the guidelines have been issued on the advice of the technical advisory committee made up of experts, after examining the situation, and if things are under control by April 20, the resumption of activities will be allowed.
“The government is not happy with restricting activities. I have been requesting through the media for the last month that a second wave comes to our door and if we do not understand and take precautionary measures, the government will have no other options and may have to take serious action, “Sudhakar said.
Speaking to reporters here, he said that Karnataka was the first state to resume all business activities, but the state today reports about 5,000 cases per day and 3,500 of them are from Bangalore alone.
“The technical advisory committee has said that this will be there for another two months, until the end of May and the graph will start to decline from the first week of June.
If we don’t take action and something adverse happens, won’t it be the government’s responsibility? “, I ask.
With the aim of curbing Covid-19 with the increase in cases, the government on Friday, in a new set of guidelines, ordered the closure of gyms and swimming pools and limited the capacity of seats in theaters to 50 percent in certain districts. .
It has also directed apartment complexes to shut down common facilities such as party rooms and clubhouses.
The new restrictions imposed by the government through the guidelines will be in effect until April 20.
Noting that the government has issued guidelines after receiving several reports from the technical advisory committee and after consulting with senior officials and ministers, Sudhakar said it was not done all at once.
“People from various sectors are saying that their activities should not be restricted and should continue freely. Yes, we (the government) understand that too, but things should not get out of our control, so it was inevitable that the government would take certain strict measures.
We request everyone’s cooperation, “he said.
The Karnataka Film Chamber of Commerce has decided to meet with Chief Minister BS Yediyurappa to brief him on the impact of limiting cinema seating capacity to 50 percent, on the industry, and is likely to seek relaxation so that he does not make. impact films that have just been released.
In addition, gym owners have demanded that the government reconsider the decision or allow them to operate at 50 percent of their capacity or advertise a package so they can pay for the staff and use it for maintenance.
There is pressure from some private schools to make them work, similar is the demand of the owners of gyms, swimming pools and clubs, also people want to celebrate marriages with large meetings, said the minister.
“These measures are not permanent, let’s follow these temporary measures for a few days … I am not saying that (the spread of Covid-19) can be controlled 100 percent with these measures, but we can try to put things under control,” he added . he said.
Responding to a question, the Minister said that there are guidelines for elections, and religious places as well, there is no concession for any sector or activity.
“The government is just trying to control this pandemic, that’s it, there is no politics or any malicious intent behind it,” he said, while sidestepping questions about the night curfew or weekend closure and stating that there is no wants to talk about what measures. will be taken in the future.
He said the guidelines have been issued on the advice of the technical advisory committee made up of experts, after examining the situation, and if things are under control by April 20, the resumption of activities will be allowed.
“The government is not happy with restricting activities. I have been requesting through the media for the last month that a second wave comes to our door and if we do not understand and take precautionary measures, the government will have no other options and may have to take serious action, “Sudhakar said.
Speaking to reporters here, he said that Karnataka was the first state to resume all business activities, but the state today reports about 5,000 cases per day and 3,500 of them are from Bangalore alone.
“The technical advisory committee has said that this will be there for another two months, until the end of May and the graph will start to decline from the first week of June.
If we don’t take action and something adverse happens, won’t it be the government’s responsibility? “, I ask.
With the aim of curbing Covid-19 with the increase in cases, the government on Friday, in a new set of guidelines, ordered the closure of gyms and swimming pools and limited the capacity of seats in theaters to 50 percent in certain districts. .
It has also directed apartment complexes to shut down common facilities such as party rooms and clubhouses.
The new restrictions imposed by the government through the guidelines will be in effect until April 20.
Noting that the government has issued guidelines after receiving several reports from the technical advisory committee and after consulting with senior officials and ministers, Sudhakar said it was not done all at once.
“People from various sectors are saying that their activities should not be restricted and should continue freely. Yes, we (the government) understand that too, but things should not get out of our control, so it was inevitable that the government would take certain strict measures.
We request everyone’s cooperation, “he said.
The Karnataka Film Chamber of Commerce has decided to meet with Chief Minister BS Yediyurappa to brief him on the impact of limiting cinema seating capacity to 50 percent, on the industry, and is likely to seek relaxation so that he does not make. impact films that have just been released.
In addition, gym owners have demanded that the government reconsider the decision or allow them to operate at 50 percent of their capacity or advertise a package so they can pay for the staff and use it for maintenance.
There is pressure from some private schools to make them work, similar is the demand of the owners of gyms, swimming pools and clubs, also people want to celebrate marriages with large meetings, said the minister.
“These measures are not permanent, let’s follow these temporary measures for a few days … I am not saying that (the spread of Covid-19) can be controlled 100 percent with these measures, but we can try to put things under control,” he added . he said.
Responding to a question, the Minister said that there are guidelines for elections, and religious places as well, there is no concession for any sector or activity.
“The government is just trying to control this pandemic, that’s it, there is no politics or any malicious intent behind it,” he said, while sidestepping questions about the night curfew or weekend closure and stating that there is no wants to talk about what measures. will be taken in the future.
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