Bengaluru: Ahead of weekend curfew, people leave for their hometowns

Bengaluru: As the weekend curfew has been imposed by the government in the wake of increasing number of Omicron variant cases in the state, people are leaving the city and started moving to their native places for the weekend, with some even anticipating a full lockdown.

Ahead of the weekend curfew, labourers and general public rushed to KSRTC bus stand and railway stations. The number of cases of infections have crossed 5,000 in the city. There is a fear that those leaving the city might spread the infection in their native towns and villages.

The government has shut schools and colleges in Bengaluru. Many IT companies have already asked their employees to work from home. This has led to a sudden surge in travel. Huge traffic snarls were seen at tollgates on Mysuru and Tumakuru roads.

From Friday night 8 pm all the bars and restaurant selling liquor will be shut. The Bangalore City Police Commissioner has clearly stated that if anybody is found without a proper reason for stepping out of their house, a criminal case will be filed. This curfew will be in place till Monday morning 5 am, so to escape this weekend curfew many are going out of town.

In Karnataka 5,031 Covid cases were reported on Thursday, with positivity rate at 3.95 per cent, and the number of actives cases rose to 22,173. In Bengaluru alone, 4,324 new cases were reported, with active cases rising to 18913.

Increase in Delta variant cases along with Omicron is also causing concern. In the past six days, 774 cases of Delta infections have been reported in the state. In addition, Delta Subline cases have shot up to 1,350 from 944.