Select industries to operate in K’taka during stringent lockdown-like restrictions

Bengaluru: With lockdown-like restrictions coming into effect in Karnataka from May 10 to May 24, the state government on Saturday said only a select number of industries would be allowed to remain open during the period.

‘Industries/industrial establishments will remain closed during the period except for those outside containment zones, subject to adhering to the national directives for COVID-19 management,’ Additional Chief Secretary Dr Rajkumar Khatri said in a circular.

All manufacturing units of drugs, pharmaceuticals, medical devices, medical oxygen, their packing material, raw material and intermediates would operate.

Food processing units and related industries,cold storage and warehousing services, manufacturing units of essential commodities, production units requiring continuous process and industries, industrial establishments and production units operating with in-situ staff and workers will also function.

Effluent treatment plants, petroleum refineries, large steel plants, sugar, rice and oil mills,roller flour mills, bakeries and confectioneries, agro-based industries, fish and poultry feed,large cement plants,large foundries, fertilisers, tyre manufacturing plants, automobile industry and vertically integrated large textile units are among those which would remain open throughout the restriction period.

All other industries would remain shut.

The Karnataka government had on Friday announced lockdown like restrictions from May 10 to 24 in view of the alarming rise in COVID cases and also because repeated imposition of curfew failed to yield the desired results.

The state has been reporting close to 50,000 COVID-19 cases daily taking the total caseload close to six lakh.

On Friday, fatalities touched an all time high of 592.

Bengaluru Urban has for long been the epicentre of covid in Karnataka, accounting for half the number of cases and deaths.