The Karnataka government has announced a lockdown in nine districts- Bengaluru urban, Bengaluru Rural, Dakshina Kannada, Mysuru, Kalaburagi, Dharwad, Chikkaballapura, Kodagu and Belagavi - till March 31.

Speaking to reporters, Home Minister Basavaraj Bommai said that only essential services will be allowed to operate. All shops, commercial establishments, workshops and godowns dealing with non-essential items will be shut.

The minister however clarified that grocery stores, milk, fish and meat vendors, vegetable shops as well as medical services can remain open. Agricultural activities will be allowed to continue while auto and taxis will function. All IT and bio-technology units will work from home, except where it's not feasible. Take away from restaurants, home deilvery of food, medicines will be allowed.

Factories will be allowed to function on alternate days. All inter- district and inter-state transport in the nine districts under lockdown will be stopped till March 31. Air-conditioned buses of Karnataka State Road Transport Corporation (KSRTC), Bangalore Metropolitan Transport Corporation (BMTC) buses and metro services will not operate till March 31.

On Sunday, prohibitory orders under section 144 of the Code of Criminal Procedure (CrPC) will be imposed from 9 pm to 12 am in Bengaluru. "This is to ensure people do not come out of their homes in big numbers once the Janata Curfew ends at 9 pm," Basavaraj Bommai said.

On Monday, public transport will be curtailed across the state after the state government extended the restrictions placed on BMTC and KSRTC buses for the Janata Curfew on Sunday. After Monday, public transport will be restricted in the 9 districts where a lockdown will be observed,

Government offices will be open in the nine districts, Basavaraj Bommai stated. Banks, ATMs, postal services, electricity, water and municipal servises also will function.

The class 12 examination scheduled for Monday will go ahead as it is the last exam for the students of the class. The state government is working to ensure transportation is not an issue for students across the state.

The decision to lockdown 75 districts across India was taken at a high-level meeting held this morning with Chief Secretaries of all the states by the Cabinet Secretary and the Principal Secretary to the Prime Minister.