Karnataka has an 8-hour night curfew until 2 January

On Wednesday, the Karnataka government announced a night curfew in the state, amid growing concerns about the spread of a new coronavirus variant in Britain. The state will be under curfew between 10 pm and 6 am, beginning today, according to a statement by Chief Minister BS Yediyurappa. The curfew continues until January 2, said the chief minister. The development comes one day after Yediyurappa said there was no need for the state to impose a night curfew for now.

“This (new coronavirus variant) is something that has worried the people of the state and the country, we have come to know that a person who has arrived in Chennai has been found infected. We have to be extra cautious. Whoever comes from outside they will be checked at the airports itself before allowing them,” Yediyurappa said.

Speaking to reporters, he said, all the necessary precautions had been taken and the government was vigilant to control the spread of the virus in Karnataka.

Karnataka has also issued the following guidelines in the wake of the new coronavirus strain in the United Kingdom

All passengers arriving from the United Kingdom by airports or seaports in Bengaluru and Mangaluru will have to undergo RT-PCR tests within 72 hours.

There is no ban on interstate travel

Reopening of colleges and schools on 1 January for classes 10 and 12.

Meanwhile, on Tuesday, Karnataka recorded 1,141 new cases of COVID-19 and 14 related deaths, bringing the total number of infections to 9,11,382 and the death toll to 12,029.

There were also 1,136 patients discharged on the day after recovery.

A total of more than 1,32,17,127 samples have been tested so far, 95,708 of which were tested on Tuesday alone, and 13,427 of which were rapid antigen tests.

Of the 1,141 fresh cases reported, 585 were urban cases in Bengaluru alone.