According to the new guidelines, only people who have taken at least one dose of the vaccine before 2 weeks, or who are in possession of RT-PCR negative certificates taken 72 hours before will be allowed inside shops, banks and other establishments.
Amid a steep hike in Covid-19 cases, the Kerala government has decided to implement new guidelines from August 11 allowing only those who have taken at least one dose of the vaccine or who are in possession of RT-PCR negative certificates taken 72 hours before to enter shops, markets, banks and tourist spots.
This is applicable for both workers and visitors and the state disaster control management authority said it will deploy its personnel in malls and other places to ensure this. Though traders’ bodies and opposition parties opposed the new restrictions, state health minister Veena George justified it saying in critical situations such measures are needed.
On Sunday, Covid-19 cases came down to 20,000 after a week. Kerala reported 18,607 cases with a test positivity rate of 13.87 per cent after 1,34,196 samples were tested, said the state health ministry. It also reported 93 deaths taking the total death toll to 17,747. The intensity of the situation in the state can be gauged if compared with national statistics– in the last 24 hours the country reported 39,070 cases and 491 deaths and out of 4.06,822 active cases the state’s share is 1,76,572.
Kerala had announced fresh guidelines on August 4 as coronavirus cases continued to rise exponentially. According to the new guidelines, only people who have taken at least one dose of the vaccine before two weeks, or who are in possession of RT-PCR negative certificates taken 72 hours before or who are in possession of Covid-19 positive results more than a month old, will be allowed inside shops, banks and other establishments. But traders opposed it and asked the government to provide enough vaccines before enforcing such rules.
“There are many loopholes. If a person wants to buy two packets of milk he has to take a test costing ₹500 or a vaccine worth ₹600. What about people below 18 years of age? These measures are without any thinking or logic,” said a trader M Pankajan in the state capital. Opposition parties also said such steps will lead to more harassment from law-enforcement agencies.
