The Kerala government has now announced relaxations on travel restrictions that were the norm until now. The state has announced that the tourism sector will get some relaxations, which includes hotels and restaurants in the state. This brings a much needed respite to the people hoteliers, restaurateurs, their employees, and other stakeholders.
The state government has segregated the Local Self Government areas into four categories. This has been done on the basis of Covid Test Positivity Rate, and the new guidelines have been made on the basis of this. The relaxations have been given in the areas where the state had identified the average positivity rate to be below 5 percent (Category A), and in Local Self Government areas (Category B) where the positivity rate is below 10 percent.
It is however important to note here that the state has now recorded a fresh spike in COVID cases, which is the highest in 26 days. So anybody travelling to the state with the misconception that everything is well should be careful.
According to the new guidelines, all accommodation facilities should be following standard operating protocols as laid out by the Central Health Department, and as well as the tourism department of the state.
It has been ruled that the staff working at these accommodations must receive at least one dose of vaccination, while guests should have proof of at least one dose of vaccination, or an RT PCR negative report that was done 72 hours prior to arrival. Moreover, restaurants in Category A and B can function until 9:30 pm for take away or home delivery only.
Another good news for the tourism sector in Kerala is that the government has decided to do away with mandatory quarantine for visitors who want to stay for over a week.
