Karnataka: Shops, commercial establishments with 10 or more people allowed to remain open 24x7

Bengaluru: In order to spur the Covid-battered economy, the Karnataka government on Saturday allowed all shops and commercial establishments in the state to remain open 24 hours a day for the next three years, starting from 2021.

This permission has been granted for shops that employ 10 or more staff members.

"The Government of Karnataka after holding an enquiry as required under sub section (2) of section 11 hereby permits all Shops and Commercial Establishments in the State employing ten or more persons to be open on 24 X 7 basis on all days of the year for a period of three years from the date of publication of this notification in the Official Gazette subject to the provisions of sub section (3) of section 12," read the notification issued by Sandhya Nayak, Deputy Secretary of the Department of Labour in Karnataka..

The order specifies that the working hours for employees will remain at 8 hours every day or 10 hours with overtime. Women employees have been permitted to work for night shift too provided the employee gives a consent letter and adequate protection is arranged by the employer, including transport facilities..

Karnataka currently has around 11,200 active Covid-19 cases and the death toll due to the virus is over 12,000.