Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan is chairing a Cabinet meeting here to decide whether the government should suspend non-essential services in more districts to enforce social distancing norms more meticulously in a bid to slow down the spread of COVID-19 infections.
The Cabinet meeting is taking place at the Secretariat against the backdrop of the Central government’s advisory to Kerala government on Sunday to allow only essential services in 10 districts earmarked for a possible lockdown.
The districts are Ernakulam, Alappuzha, Idukki, Kannur, Kasargode, Kottayam, Malappuram, Pathanamthitta, Thrissur and Thiruvananthapuram.
Kasargode district, which reported five new cases on Sunday, is on lockdown since Saturday.
Kozhikode district, which reported a surge of people under observation for suspected exposure to infected persons, has prohibited congregation of more than five people in public places since Sunday.
However, the district has not restricted non-essential services but limited business timings, including that of liquor outlets, from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Officials say the Cabinet is weighing on several options, including ordering restaurants not to seat patrons and to open takeaway counters instead. The government might also restrict the number of passengers on stage carriages, taxis and auto-rickshaws.
Excise Minister T. P. Ramakrishnan had conferred with Commissioner of Excise S. Ananthakrishnan in the morning, triggering speculation that the government might shut down liquor outlets and bars across Kerala.
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The government had said on Sunday that the current situation in Kerala did not warrant a State-wide lockdown. Hence, any decision on imposing more restrictions on daily life will hinge on the unfolding public health situation.
The government has already closed public parks, beaches, weekend tourist destinations, places of worship, stadiums and malls as a precaution against the spread of the virus. It has also limited the number of persons at weddings and social functions to not more than ten.
The Chief Minister’s office had clarified on Sunday that the current restrictions were adequate to deal with the virus threat, given its present scale.
Published - March 23, 2020 12:07 pm IST
