Coronavirus: Karnataka government exempts staffers from work, except 10 'essential' departments

Karnataka has exempted its employees from coming to work till March 31 in view of the COVID-19 pandemic, except those working in ten departments identified as “essential”. 

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According to a circular issued by Chief Secretary TM Vijay Bhaskar, only employees of the following ten departments are to come to work as usual: 

Health & Family Welfare, Medical Education, Home, Revenue, Rural Development & Panchayat Raj, Urban Development, Food, Civil Supplies & Consumer Affairs, Information & Public Relations, Transport and Energy. 

The exemption from coming to work applies to Group B, C and D employees, according to the circular. 

The move is part of Karnataka’s lockdown measures to contain the spread of COVID-19, with the state having tested 33 positive cases so far. 

The state has at least 32 administrative departments and has some 5.2 lakh government employees.