• Hotel parcel service till 10 pm; Restrictions in N.R. Constituency will continue till July 24
• Parks to be open till 9 pm; walkers barred from sitting on benches, using gym equipment

Mysore/Mysuru: The 6 pm to 5 am night curfew imposed every day in Mysuru has been modified from 9 pm to 5 am from today and as such, people have got three more hours of extension.

The 6 pm to 5 am night curfew was imposed 15 days back by the Mysuru District Administration while the entire State had 8 pm to 5 am curfew rule. Mysuru had special rules as the number of COVID-19 infections was rising fast with an average of 100 people testing positive every day. The number of deaths too saw a marked increase.

Now as the State Government has modified the night curfew hours, the rule will apply for Mysuru also. All business establishments, shops, private offices, shopping malls, supermarkets, grocery outlets, hotels, cloth and merchandise shops, hardware, paints, and allied industries and bakeries can operate till 9 pm. City Police Commissioner Dr. Chandragupta told Star of Mysore that industries and shops have to wind up by 8.30 pm to facilitate the 9 pm closure.

“Only medical shops and milk booths will be open after 9 pm and the rest will close. Hotels have been permitted to operate dine-in facilities till 9 pm. They can continue issuing parcel service till 10 pm,” he said. As per the Government order, the Sunday curfew will continue.

No city buses after 9 pm

The KSRTC too will stop plying buses till 9 pm. “There are no takers for KSRTC service. Still, we used to run limited buses. From today, we will operate till 9 pm and run buses only if there is a demand. The Mysuru city KSRTC collection has gone down from Rs. 35 lakh per day to Rs. 3 lakh,” said S.P. Nagaraj, Divisional Controller KSRTC, city unit.

The rural KSRTC unit too will operate buses till 9 pm. Buses that start before 9 pm will reach their destination, said KSRTC Rural Divisional Controller R. Ashok Kumar.

Restrictions in Narasimharaja to continue

Meanwhile, Mysuru Deputy Commissioner Abhiram G. Sankar has clarified that restrictions imposed in Narasimharaja Constituency will continue. In the wake of rising COVID-19 infection rate and deaths in Mysuru, especially in NR Constituency, the DC had declared certain areas of the Constituency and some areas of adjoining Chamaraja Constituency as restricted zones. The orders will be in force till 6 am on July 24.

“The State Government has empowered the DCs to effectively manage containment zones and restricted areas. The CM’s announcement of no lockdown in anywhere in the State does not apply here as we have not locked the Narasimharaja Constituency but have imposed certain restrictions in select areas. This will continue till July 24 and the status-quo will be maintained,” Abhiram G. Sankar told SOM.

Karnataka Chief Minister B.S. Yediyurappa yesterday announced that another lockdown will not be imposed in the State, but added that certain restrictions will remain in place in containment zones. Night curfew from 9 pm to 5 am will continue instead of the previous timing of 8 pm to 5 am. Sunday curfew will also remain in place at least till Aug. 8.

The State Government’s latest order also prohibits the use of gym equipment in open spaces and benches at public parks as a step to contain the spread of the Coronavirus. Parks will be open but walkers have been barred from using benches, gym equipment and other exercise equipment.

“Movement of individuals shall remain strictly prohibited between 9 pm and 5 am throughout the state, except for essential activities,” Chief Secretary T.M. Vijay Bhaskar said in his lockdown extension order. He has directed local authorities to issue appropriate orders like Section 144 for strict compliance of night curfew.

The Government has been trying to find a fine balance between restricting people movement and allowing businesses to resume operations to help contain the surge as well as bring in some revenues to the cash-starved State.