The Yedyurappa government has extended the lock down by a fortnight. The close down which was to end on 24 May, will now continue till 7 June.
According to chief minister, B S Yedyurappa, the stringent measures which were imposed during the lockdown initiated earlier, will continue ,following expert advice.
Significantly, the government’s announcement comes barely a day after its home minister, Basvaraj Bommai, had announced that the decision to continue the lockdown would be taken by the cabinet on 23 May.
Accordingly, the decision, two days before the scheduled date , has been prompted by the seriousness of the pandemic situation with the number of Covid-19 cases showing little respite.
In fact, the chief minister noted that the pandemic was now spreading into the villages with the number of dead also rising substantially. The decision to extend the lockdown,therefore, was taken in the interest of the citizens and “ I request them to cooperate.”
At the same time , he asserted that the ongoing close down had yielded positive results ,encouraging the government to extend it by two more weeks.
He was also quick to add that there would be no change in the present guidelines and the people would continue to step out between 6 am and 10 am, for purchasing essential items.