Daijiworld Media Network - Bengaluru (DV)
Bengaluru, Dec 25: After announcing the decision to impose a night curfew, the Karnataka government revoked the order on Thursday, December 24 after facing strong criticism for the move. Opposition leader Shivakumar had termed the night curfew 'illogical' and demanded its withdrawal, while KPCC chief D K Shivakumar scoffed at it. However, defending the initial decision to impose night curfew, health and medical education minister Dr K Sudhakar said that the state government's order to impose the night curfew from December 24 to January 2 was a conscious decision and it was not 'political' as alleged by the opposition.
Speaking to media persons, Dr Sudhakar said, "After the government rolled back its decision on imposing night curfew, there was a lot of criticism from the media. But the state government has been making wise decisions to contain the spread of coronavirus. Nearly 97.5 per cent of coronavirus infected patients have recovered from the illness due to the proper measures taken by the government. The percentage of mortality reduced to 1.22%.
"The United Kingdom has enforced a lockdown, even Germany has imposed night curfew. This does not mean that the people living in these countries are not intelligent. This is not a political decision by the state government. We have taken this decision after holding a long discussion with experts in the health sector. We have discussed the matter of imposing a night curfew several times. The decision was taken because the priority of the government is to save lives," Sudhakar said.
He also stated that if the economic activities in the state comes to halt, it will be a loss for the government. "Some decisions were taken, considering in the interest of public health. Many have failed to take precautionary measures against the spread of coronavirus. In such a situation, it is the duty of the government to warn the public," he added.
"It is learnt that 10 people who have arrived from the United Kingdom have tested positive for coronavirus. The samples collected from them have been sent to a laboratory in NIMHANS. It requires 2-3 days for Genome Sequence. If the new virus strain is found in the samples, essential measures will be taken," he said.
"Festivals like Dasara, Deepavali and Ganesh Chaturthi were observed in a simple manner. But the opposition went on to argue that the youth should enjoy on New Year. Will they take responsibility if other people suffer consequences?" Dr Sudhakar questioned.
"We do not need a certificate from MP D K Suresh. People who are out on bail are hurling the allegations," the minister said adding that the people in the state are aware of who is out on bail on charges of corruption.