Shops to open 7 hours only during Bengaluru lockdown

Bengaluru : Karnataka government will allow essential services providers to sell food, groceries, fruits, milk and other items for only seven hours during the complete lockdown starting from 8 p.m. on Tuesday, an official said on Monday.

"Shops, including ration shops (PDS), dealing with food, groceries, fruits and vegetables, dairy and milk booths, meat and fish, animal fodder to open only from 5 a.m. to 12 noon," said Chief Secretary T.M. Vijay Bhaskar as part of the lockdown guidelines.

Similarly, only those flights and trains which have already been scheduled will be allowed to operate.

"Flight and train tickets shall serve as the passes for movement of persons in taxis, cab aggregators and rickshaws to board flights and trains," said Bhaskar.

Metro train services will continue to be shut.

Movement of inter-state and intra-state vehicles are allowed only in case of emergencies, through registration and after obtaining a valid pass from the Seva Sindhu portal.

All educational institutions will remain shut while online education is allowed.

"Students appearing for exams can use admission tickets as travel passes and use the mode of transport available to them," he said, allowing those exams which have already been scheduled and on strict adherence to the national directives for Covid management.

"All religious places of worship shall be closed for public. Religious congregations are strictly prohibited," Vijay Bhaskar said.

During the lockdown, banks, insurance offices, ATMs and food processing and related industries will be open, except in containment zones.

In government offices, 50 per cent staff is allowed while medical services, pharmacies and unrestricted movement of goods and cargo outside the containment zones are allowed.

Outside containment zones, large industries, such as those manufacturing essential goods, drugs, special economic zones (SEZs) and export-oriented units, can remain open.

In the construction sector, projects where workers are available on site without the need of bringing them from outside will be allowed to operate.

Alarmed by the surging Covid cases daily since July 1, the Karnataka government decided to re-impose a total lockdown in Bengaluru Urban and Rural districts from July 14 till July 22.