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Updated: Apr 23, 2020 15:57 IST

The Karnataka government has decided to partially ease lockdown restrictions in the state to allow IT and ITeS companies to reopen offices with “essential minimum staff” from Thursday. Restrictions will be eased for select sectors starting 00:00 hours of April 22, according to a notification issued by the state chief secretary T M Vijay Bhaskar.

While IT and ITeS companies will be allowed to reopen their workplaces, majority of their staff will have to continue working from home. The nod to IT firms is seen as a critical move since Karnataka is one of the largest exporters of IT and ITeS, and is the biggest employer in the organized sector in the state.

In a detailed 14-page order, the chief secretary said that works under MNREGA, courier services, cold storage and warehousing services, private security and facilities management, self-employed electricians, IT repairs and other industrial projects can resume from Friday outside the containment zones. The list of services also includes plumbers, motor mechanics, carpenters, food processing industries in rural areas, manufacturing units of essential goods, packaging material and construction activities including metro rail, roads and irrigation works.

More than 400 containment zones have been identified by the government across the state. The notification emphasized that wearing of masks, social distancing and other measures should be followed strictly and only local workers could be employed in these activities and fresh workforce cannot be brought in from elsewhere.

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The government has been under immense financial pressure ever since the lockdown came into effect on March 24, paralyzing almost all revenue-generating activities across the state. However, apart from the above-mentioned exceptions, Karnataka’s primary and secondary education minister Suresh Kumar emphasized that lockdown in other sectors would continue till May 3 as announced earlier. This means schools, colleges, malls, theatres, metro, bus, train or flight services will remain suspended along with all religious places and gatherings.

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