As India continues to reel under the threat of COVID-19 pandemic, the Kerala government announced a four-tiered lockdown relaxation plan for all its 14 districts.
The fourteen districts have been classifed into four categories: Red, Orange A, Orange B and Green.
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Kasaragod, Malappuram, Kozhikode and Kannur have been marked ‘Red’, and will be under complete lockdown until 3 May, when the national lockdown is expected to end.
Pathanamthitta, Ernakulam and Kollam have been marked ‘Orange A’, and will be under complete lockdown until 24 April, and are expected to see partial relaxation thereafter.
Alapuzzha, Trivandrum, Wayanad, Palakkad and Thrissur districts have been marked ‘Orange B’, and will be under complete lockdown until 20 April and are expected to see partial relaxation thereafter.
Kottayam and Idukki have been marked Green, which denotes complete absence of the virus at those places, and will see lockdown lifted after 20 April.
All government offices will function in Kottayam and Idukki from Tuesday and all employees have to attend offices.
According to the report, restaurants can remain open from 7 am to 7 pm, and textiles shops can function from 9 am to 6 pm. All commercial establishments will remain open. However, restrictions on travelling to neighbouring districts will remain the same.
People have to wear masks while moving out. In cars and autos, only two passengers other than driver are allowed.
On Saturday, Four more COVID-19 cases were reported in Kerala, taking the tally in the state to 399.
Three of the new cases have been reported from Kannur and one from Kozhikode. Meantime, two patients in Kasaragod recovered.
Three out of the four came to the state from Dubai and one was infected with the coronavirus through a contact.
According to the official report, there are 140 COVID patients undergoing treatment, while 257 people have been cured so far. Meantime, 67,190 people are under observation – 66,686 in home quarantine and 504 in hospitals. The number of hospitalisations related to COVID-19 was 104.
Earlier, Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan had said Kerala will implement an “odd-even“ system for private vehicles with partial restrictions after April 20.
Apart from implementing the odd-even system for private vehicles, the concession will also be given to vehicles driven by women drivers.
Prior to the announcement of the extension of lockdown till May 3, an expert committee constituted by the Kerala government had recommended a gradual lifting of the lockdown in the State after April 15 in a phased manner.
The recommendations also included an odd-even scheme for private vehicles on the road throughout the week, with Sunday being no-vehicle day.
According to the data provided by the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare on Sunday,the total number of coronavirus patients in India has surged to 15,712. Meanwhile, the number of deaths in the country due to COVID-19 has risen to 507.
The total number of active cases in the country is 12,974. Meanwhile, 2231 persons have been cured/discharged/migrated.
The Central government has taken many stringent measures to prevent the further spread of the disease.
Starting from March 24 midnight, India is under 21-day lockdown to curb the spread of novel coronavirus. The lockdown, effective March 25, is supposed to end on April 14.
However, on Tuesday, in an address to the nation, Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced that the 21-day national lockdown has been extended till May 3.
Coronavirus, which originated in China’s Wuhan city in December last year, has so far spread to more than 200 countries. The World Health Organisation (WHO) has declared coronavirus a pandemic.
With inputs from media reports
