Bengaluru: Karnataka government has extended lockdown by a week till June 14, amid the continuing Covid-19 spread in rural areas and the positivity and fatality rates remaining high despite an overall decline in cases.

The decision in this respect was announced by CM BS Yediyurappa on Wednesday, June 3. He has announced an additional relief package of Rs. 500 crore

In its report to the government, the state’s Covid-19 Technical Advisory Committee stated that the positive rate must decrease below 5% and the number of daily cases must decrease below 5,000 before restrictions on movement and activity can be lifted.

However, With 463 patients succumbing to the infection in a day, Covid deaths crossed 30,000-mark since the pandemic broke out in Karnataka during March a year ago, said the state health bulletin on Wednesday, June 3.

“The positive rate hasn’t gone down fully; it needs to fall below 10%, and the cases in rural areas are about 22,000-23,000; it needs to go below 10,000, and even the number of deaths must go down; only then will we be able to manage the health infrastructure,” he added.