Because of the ‘inevitable, impending third wave,’ India’s top doctors’ body, the Indian Medical Association, or IMA, warned the Kerala government on Sunday against relaxing Coronavirus restrictions ahead of Eid al-Adha or Bakrid. The IMA stated that if the order is not withdrawn, they will be forced to go to the Supreme Court to challenge the Kerala government’s decision.
The IMA expressed its ‘pain’ at the Kerala government’s decision, which comes amid a spike in cases in the state and despite Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s warning against mass gatherings and many states canceling pilgrimage yatras.
‘It is unfortunate that the learned state of Kerala has taken these retrograde decisions,’ it said in a statement, ‘when many northern states like J&K, Uttar Pradesh and Uttaranchal have stopped, with a constructive sense of public safety, the traditional and popular pilgrimage Yatras.’
Because Bakrid is celebrated in Kerala on Wednesday, the Kerala government announced that lockdown restrictions would be lifted for three days beginning Sunday. Clothing, footwear, jewelry, gift items, home appliances and electronics, as well as repair shops, will be permitted to open. The issue has also sparked a heated debate online, with comparisons to Uttar Pradesh and Uttarakhand’s cancellation of the Kanwar Yatra.
Apart from concessions for Bakrid, Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan announced on Saturday that certain activities such as filming and relaxations for places of worship would be allowed, as well as restrictions, to help Kerala overcome its dire situation.
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