Theatre hall occupancy in Karna not to be restricted to 50 pc

PTI, Mar 20, 2021, 9:07 AM IST

Bengaluru: Theatre hall occupancy in Karnataka would not be restricted to 50 per cent though there has been a spurt in COVID-19 cases in the state, Chief Minister BS Yediyurappa said here on Friday.

He also urged theatre owners, the viewers and the general public to abide by all the government guidelines to help control the spread of the pandemic.

”There is no such proposal before the government to allow a maximum of 50 per cent occupancy in cinema theatres,” he tweeted after a section of media reported that such a move was on the cards.

Noting that COVID-19 cases are again on the rise, the CM, in an open letter to the public, posted on Twitter, said the government has taken all necessary steps to contain the pandemic. However, it would not be possible without people’s support.

Asking people to wear facemasks, maintain hand hygiene and follow social distancing, he requested the elderly and people above 45 years with comorbidities to get vaccinated.

The appeal came as the State recorded 1,587 infections on Friday, including 1,037 in Bengaluru.

There were 10 deaths in the State with six fatalities in Bengaluru alone.

Meanwhile, the sudden spurt in cases in Bengaluru and speculations of a possible lockdown prompted the city civic agency to state it would submit a report to the government on the reasons behind it and abide by their decision.

Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike commissioner N Manjunath Prasad told reporters that contact tracing of the 925 cases reported on Thursday revealed that the maximum was from apartments due to partying and various events.

“There were also cases of people going to temples and attending marriages, all of which would be brought to the notice of the State government. BBMP will abide by whatever decision is taken by the government,” Prasad said.

He said the civic agency was making arrangements to increase testing and would deploy more ‘corona warriors’ in areas where more cases have been reported and focus on conducting vaccinations in these places.

The number of cases in the city, which had been below the 300 mark for more than three months, saw a sharp rise this month, crossing the 600 mark on March 14 and 900 on March 18.