During the 14-day statewide shutdown, which begins Tuesday night, the Karnataka government has stated that e-commerce platforms will be authorised to deliver all products. The decision comes as the Bengaluru government deals with an increase in Covid-19 incidents.

The guidelines, which were released late Monday evening, also stated that home delivery of all goods would be permitted in the state, balancing the demands of offline merchants who had objected to e-commerce companies operating when their stores were closed.

According to the guidelines, the state will allow delivery of “all goods through e-commerce and home delivery” without distinguishing between essential and non-essential items, as Maharashtra, Delhi, and a few other states have done in recent weeks.

“They’ve (Karnataka government) allowed both e-commerce and shops to function through home deliveries. This is what we’ve been asking for all along,” said a senior executive at a leading e-commerce marketplace. “This will allow consumers to stay safe at home.”

Apart from not enforcing any restrictions on e-commerce, the state also stated that it is allowing 24x7 delivery of vital goods to "minimise the movement of individuals outside their homes," thus limiting the hours of service of stores selling groceries, fruits and vegetables, dairy products, and meats to just four hours a day, from 6 a.m. to 10 a.m.

BigBasket co-founder and CEO Hari Menon said the state's orders spiked after Chief Minister B S Yediyurappa announced the new restrictions.

“In terms of business nothing changes because delivery of essentials is going to be allowed,” said Menon. “Typically in a situation like this demand tends to shoot up, but we’re okay in terms of supply. The only problem we’re facing is people are falling ill.”

Every day, so many delivery agents test positive that e-commerce companies have had to announce new hiring sprees to keep up with demand.

Menon said that BigBasket saw a 23-25 percent increase in orders in April compared to the previous month across India.

Following the government's announcement on Monday, Grofers recorded a 3X increase in orders in the area.

“Despite the heavy caseload in Bengaluru, the Karnataka government has taken a view that the economy is important too,” said another e-commerce executive. “E-commerce will certainly benefit as consumers will want reliable and affordable products delivered home quickly. We will work with offline stores as well.”

Another executive said Karnataka’s guidelines could set the template for other BJP-run states that are planning lockdowns.

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