Kerala’s new COVID-19 guidelines to curb the spread of coronavirus cases comes into effect from today
Thiruvananthapuram: Amid a rise in COVID-19 cases and in view of approaching festivals, Kerala has decided to implement new guidelines from today. Apart from it, the state has also enforced “special intensified stringent” lockdown restrictions in the panchayats or urban wards wherein the Weekly Infection Population Ratio (WIPR) is above 8. “Micro-containment and testing shall be intensified in areas where new cases are on the rise,” the order said.
Guidelines for Sabarimala pilgrimage
For Sabarimala pilgrimage and darshan from August 15, a maximum of 15,000 devotees per day will be permitted and virtual queue registration will continue for crowd management, the government notification said.
Guidelines for upcoming festivals
No public observation of festivals or mass gatherings will be permitted in the state during Onam, Muharram, Janmashtami, Ganesh Chathurthi and Durga Pooja as they have the potential to become super-spreaders of the COVID-19 infection, the Kerala government said on Tuesday. The decision was taken by the Disaster Management department of Kerala.
Meanwhile, a six-member central team that visited eight districts of Kerala has said from August 1 to August 20, the state may witness around 4.6 lakh COVID-19 cases.
The unlocking of activities, approaching of the Onam festival (August 20) and reopening of tourism pose challenging scenarios and it is a cause of concern, National Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) Director Dr Sujeet Singh, who headed the central team, said at a press conference here on Tuesday.
Kerala accounted for more than half of the COVID-19 cases recorded in the country in the last seven days, the Centre said on Tuesday.
