Hours after Mysuru Deputy Commissioner Rohini Sindhuri passed an order mandating a COVID-19 RT-PCR negative report for tourists entering the district from Bengaluru, the order was rolled-back by the Karnataka government.
The state government order issued by N Manjunath Prasad, Principal Secretary Revenue Department and the Member-Secretary of Disaster Management, said that the Mysuru DC order was being struck down to bring uniformity in regulations across the state.
The order by district authorities had said while there is no bar on entry to Mysuru from Bengaluru, a negative test report was required for staying at hotels and will be mandatory from 10 April. The same restriction has been imposed on tourist spots, movie theatres, marriage halls, and recreational clubs.
Sources in the DC’s office said that the decision – now overruled – was taken keeping in mind the expected rush with the Ugadi festival approaching and the high-case load in Bengaluru.
The source had said the order by the DC was issued only after consulting with the district-in-charge minister ST Somasekhar.
Similar Orders in Kodagu
Meanwhile on 3 April, the Kodagu district administration had issued an order on the same grounds for temporary closure of tourist spots in the district. Deputy Commissioner Charulatha Somal had said this order was applicable until 20 April.
The curb includes barring entry to popular tourist spots, including the popular destination Raja’s Seat. This order has not been overruled by the state government as of now.
Meanwhile, Chief Minister BS Yediyurappa has announced a night curfew in Mysuru, Bengaluru and five other major cities of Karnataka for 10 days, starting from 10 April. The curfew will come into effect from 10 pm to 5 am every day from 10 April (Saturday) to 20 April (Tuesday). The cities that will face the curfew will be Bengaluru, Mysuru, Mangaluru, Kalaburagi, Bidar, Tumkur, and Udupi-Manipal.
(This story was first published in The News Minute and has been republished with permission)
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