Karnataka, India, blocks 14 days, allows e-commerce platforms to sell all goods

As the epidemic is gradually getting out of control, Karnataka, a state in southern India bordering the Arabian Sea to the west, will implement a 14-day lockdown starting from the evening of April 27 .

Bengaluru, a city of 12 million people, reported more than 20,000 new infections on Sunday, its highest single-day tally so far and second only to the capital, New Delhi .

The epidemic is spreading rapidly in many regions of India. Karnataka is one of the regions that has recently entered a lockdown . Residents in the region are fighting a second wave of the epidemic , which has put tremendous pressure on the country's health system .

The Karnataka government said that a 14-day lockdown will be implemented starting from the evening of April 27 , during which e-commerce platforms can deliver all goods, including essential and non-essential goods. At the same time, the government also stated that it will allow home delivery services for all goods across the state to ensure the smooth operation of online platforms and minimize business losses for local retailers.

The state will allow "all goods to be sold on e-commerce platforms and delivered to homes ", unlike Maharashtra, Delhi and several other states that have banned the sale and delivery of essential and non-essential goods in the past few weeks .

Following Maharashtra, the Delhi government said only e-commerce sales of essential goods would be allowed during the one-week lockdown .

The state government's strategy has been opposed and protested by e-tailers as consumers working from home are only allowed to buy groceries online when people are under home quarantine , which will not be of much help to them.

The Delhi Disaster Management Authority (DDMA) said that only sale and delivery of food, medicines, medical equipment , etc. will be allowed through e-commerce as these products are considered essential items.

E-commerce companies are in talks with state governments to allow sales of non-essential items such as home office equipment, personal care, home and kitchen appliances. Sales during last year's lockdown showed that such products will become essential as people stay at home for long periods of time.

India

Karnataka