Thiruvananthapuram: Kerala state government announced new Covid-19 protocols in the state. State health minister Veena George announced that triple lockdown will be imposed in regions where there are more than 10 Covid-19 cases detected among 1000 people. Only shops selling essential items will be allowed to open in such locations.
The state government has lifted the lockdown imposed on Saturdays. As per the new order all shops will be allowed to open six days in a week. And the shops can remain open from 7 am to 9 pm. But the total lockdown on Sundays will remain. The government has also lifted the lockdown on August 15 and 22, due to Independence Day and Onam respectively.
The ban on political, social and cultural gatherings will remain. The number of attendees at marriages and funerals is capped at 20. People visiting devotional places should consider the space available in the area to ensure social distancing. At the maximum, 40 people can be present at a time.
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Kerala has the highest test positivity rate (TPR) in the country. The TPR rate is at 12% and there are around 1.74 lakh active cases in the state. The state government revised the Covid protocols as it found that the lockdown based on test positivity rate in the local body found ineffective.
‘Shops should have arrangements to manage crowds and ensure social distancing during the festive season. Police and local bodies should supervise the arrangements. It would be ideal if shoppers have taken at least one dose of vaccine or those with RTPC negative certificate taken within 72 hours or those recovered from Covid within a month,’ said Veena George. The minister urged public to be vigilant and shops to expand the home delivery system to reduce visits.
The health minister also informed that the government aims at vaccinating maximum number of people as more than 50 per cent of the population are in the susceptible category according the latest sero survey.
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