Bengaluru’s infamous traffic snarls began again on Monday morning as commuters poured onto the streets after Covid-19-induced lockdown restrictions were eased.
There was a massive traffic jam on Old Airport Road, which connects central Bengaluru to the IT corridors of Whitefield and Outer Ring Road, as motorist began travelling again after over a month of restrictions.
The BS Yediyurappa-led Karnataka government announced easing of restrictions in Bengaluru and 18 other districts of the state on account of a decline in the number of new Covid-19 infections.
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The city recorded 1,348 new Covid-19 infections on Sunday, the state government. There were 4,125 recoveries that brought down the active caseload to 85,995. The positivity rate in Bengaluru declined to 3.11%, according to Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) on Sunday. There were 23 more deaths in Bengaluru that took the toll to 15,307, data showed.
“Our ability to stay focussed and disciplined will ensure cases do not rise again. Stay safe. Get tested if you experience any Covid symptoms. Avoid public gatherings. Follow Covid-appropriate behaviour. Take the vaccine when it’s your turn,” Gaurav Gupta, the chief commissioner of BBMP, the city’s civic body, said in a post on Twitter.
The state government has retained restrictions in 11 out of 30 districts, which are still witnessing a high positivity rate and will remain under lockdown till at least June 21.
The Yediyurappa-led government has decided to lift curbs phase-wise to restrict the sudden rush of people.
The new guidelines came into force from 6am on Monday.
Karnataka has extended the timings for shops selling essential items such as groceries, meat, vegetables, liquor from 6-10am to 6am-2pm. Yediyurappa also announced a night curfew on all days from 7pm to 5am and a weekend curfew to restrict movement in the state at least till June 21. The government stated that it will review the Covid-19 situation and then take appropriate decisions on further relaxations, if any. Industries and other production facilities have been allowed to operate with 50% strength while garment units have been restricted to 30% due to their labour-intensive process.
