Kerala relaxes Covid-19 lockdown restrictions

Now, the complete lockdown will be imposed only on Sundays

Even as the Covid figures of Kerala continues to be high, the state government has decided to relax the lockdown restrictions by lifting the total shutdown on Saturdays and allowing shops to function from 7 am to 9 pm, considering the impact on the economy and mounting protests over prolonged lockdown.

On Wednesday, the state witnessed 22,414 fresh Covid cases, with TPR at 11.37 per cent. At Kasargod, authorities of Karnataka closed many pocket roads to Kerala to avoid people crossing the border, flouting the restrictions imposed by Karnataka.

Kerala Health Minister Veena George told the state assembly that the severity of Covid in Kerala was coming down as the number of people approaching hospitals were coming down. She said that the state was making all possible efforts to vaccinate the maximum people at the earliest. So far 42 per cent of state's population got first dose and 17.6 per cent got both doses. The comparatively higher TPR in Kerala is due to the higher test per million of 7.9 lakh in Kerala, she said.

At present, the state goes under total lockdown on Saturday and Sunday. Hereafter, total lockdown will be imposed only on Sundays. But there will not be no lockdown on August 15 in view of Independence day and August 22 in view of Onam, said the Minister.

READ | Covid severity decreasing in Kerala: Health Minister

Hereafter triple lockdown will be imposed only in localities where more than ten per 1,000 persons are remaining Covid active for one week in a row. Up to 40 persons would be allowed in worship centres based on the area of the centres. Maximum participation at marriages and deaths would be limited to 20. Shops and commercial establishments should impose restrictions. Only one customer per 25 square feet should be allowed at a time.

The minister also urged that those who had taken at least one dose of vaccine only should be preferably visiting shops. All gatherings should be avoided to the maximum possible extent.

The relaxations were finalised on the basis of opinions of the Central team that reviewed the Covid scenario of Kerala as well as that of the state's expert team on Covid. The central team had found that lapses in contact tracing and laxity in home quarantine were the reasons for fresh Covid cases remaining high.

Traders in the state were up in arms against the prolonged lockdown over the last three months. Traders' forums had also given a call for defying the restrictions from August 9.