Bengaluru, December 23: The Karnataka government has decided to impose night curfew in the state starting tomorrow, Chief Minister BS Yediyurappa said on Wednesday. The night curfew, from 11 pm to 5 am, will remain imposed till January 2, 2021. The decision was taken amidst the huge global scare over a new strain of coronavirus detected in the United Kingdom. Yediyurappa had yesterday said that there is no proposal before the government to impose night curfew in the state. New Coronavirus Strain Not Seen in India So Far, Unlikely to Impact COVID-19 Vaccines' Efficacy, Says Government.

"This (night curfew) has been done to prevent and contain the coronavirus strain found in the UK. We are also monitoring international passengers arriving in the state," Karnataka Health Minister K Sudhakar said. "Between December 23 and January 2, no function or festive celebration is allowed to take place after 10 pm. It applies to every kind of functions," he added. Besides night curfew, the Karnataka government has made 14-day quarantine mandatory for those who have come from the United Kingdom irrespective of RT-PCR test results. No Evidence That New Variant of Coronavirus More Deadly, Says WHO Official.

"Those who test positive will have to be quarantined in government facilities while those who test negative will have to undergo home quarantine," Sudhakar said. He has ruled out the possibility of a lockdown. Earlier, the Maharashtra government announced a night curfew in Mumbai and 26 others corporations' jurisdictions for the next 15 days till January 5.

The new strain of coronavirus, which is up to 70 percent more transmissible than the original version, has emerged in the UK sparking panic across the world, including India. India has announced the suspension of all flights to and from the UK till December 31 in the wake of the new mutant strain of novel coronavirus.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Dec 23, 2020 01:12 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).