As COVID-19 cases continue to soar in the state, the Kerala government has decided to continue the complete lockdown imposed on Sundays. Last week, due to Onam, the state’s most popular festival, the complete lockdown was lifted on August 22. In an order published on August 27, Chief Secretary VP Joy has stated that only limited activities will be permissible in the state on Sundays. Kerala on Friday reported 32,801 fresh cases, which was 30,007 on Thursday and 31,445 on Wednesday. The test positivity rate in the state stands at 19.22% as of Friday.
Here’s what is allowed on Sundays:
> Only home delivery of food from restaurants will be permitted from 7 am to 7 pm.
> Essential neighbourhood shops dealing with food, groceries, fruits and vegetables, dairy and milk booths, meat and fish outlets are allowed to function from 7 am to 7 pm. Toddy shops will also remain open. Home delivery of essential items shall be encouraged to minimize movement of individuals outside their homes.
> Movement of long-distance bus services, trains and air travel are permitted. Movement of public transport, private vehicles and taxis (including cabs by aggregators) will be allowed to and from airports, railway stations and bus terminals. Bus stops are allowed to facilitate movement of passengers by air, rail and road. Goods carriage vehicles will also be allowed to ply. However, the vehicles will be only allowed to commute on displaying valid travel documents or tickets and strictly adhering to COVID-19 protocol.
> All industries, companies and organisations dealing with emergency and essential services and requiring operations 24x7 shall be permitted to operate, on producing valid identity cards issued by the respective organisations and institutions.
> Employees and vehicles of telecom and internet service providers shall be allowed movement on producing valid identity cards. In the IT sector, only essential staff and employees shall work from the office.
> Patients and their attendants requiring emergency care and eligible people intending to take vaccination shall be allowed to move with valid identity proof.
> All state and Union government offices and their autonomous bodies, corporations etc. dealing with emergency and essential services and COVID-19 containment and management duties shall be fully functional and officers and personnel of the same shall be allowed unrestricted movement. The Kerala Books and Publication Society (KBPS) is also allowed to function for the purpose of printing textbooks.
> Weddings and housewarming ceremonies are allowed to be conducted after registering through the COVID-19 Jagratha portal.
> Construction activities following strict social distancing norms will be permitted on Sundays, after informing the nearest police station in advance.
Meanwhile, following criticism from opposition parties amid soaring COVID-19 cases in the state, Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan has rejected the criticism, terming it as "unwanted". In an article published in the latest edition of the weekly Chintha, one of the mouthpiece publications of the ruling CPI(M), he said a section of society was making deliberate attempts to create confusion among people by criticising the state's disease management strategies. These moves were to trigger public sentiments against the government and thus create a situation in which the fight against the virus infection was viewed lightly by the people, he alleged.