Government offices, libraries and medical colleges in Kerala are now following special restrictions to deal with the coronavirus pandemic.
Staff in government offices will work on alternate days, with only 50% of the staff present in office on any day, Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan said during the Friday press conference. If any employee has been advised home quarantine, special casual leave of 14 days will be allowed, he added.
The Thiruvananthapuram corporation on Friday released a circular that said only one entrance will be open from now, and that entry will only be allowed based on the seriousness of the issue, so that too many people do not congregate at one point. Mayor K Sreekumar has requested the public to not come to the Corporation office unless it is unavoidable. The office has also opened a helpline for people to make enquiries without having to visit the office. The number to call is 8590036770.
The Government Medical College in Ernakulam has also adopted restrictions since the service of doctors and other staff are now required at isolation wards for those under observation for coronavirus. The Out-Patient (OP) time has been limited, and will now operate only from 8 am to 10 pm, and people with non critical issues are advised to visit the Primary Health Centres instead. Only emergency surgeries will be performed and attempts are on to reduce the number of patients in wards. Visiting hours have also been restricted to one hour between 12 and 1 pm and only one attender shall be allowed for each patient.
Another place of concern is the public library in Thiruvananthapuram where children usually spend summer holidays in. Although sections of the library are closed, the children’s section is still open, and in light of schools being closed due to the COVID-19 pandemic, many children visit the library. Kerala State Commission for Protection of Child Rights chairman P Suresh has advised against this and has asked parents to keep children at home. Suresh also said he deems it advisable that the children's section be closed temporarily.
By Friday, the total number of positive cases in the state had risen to 40, with three of the patients having recovered already, and a three-year-old child from Italy also fast recovering.