Thiruvananthapuram, May 18: With the national level lockdown extended till May 31, Kerala today announced a host of exemptions in concurrence with lockdown guidelines issued by the Central Government.
Briefing the media, Chief Minister, Shri Pinarayi Vijayan said, “We will be following the general lockdown conditions in total but will make certain exemptions based on the state-specific requirements. All educational institutions will remain closed but online distance education will be encouraged. Public transport will be allowed within the district with 50% occupancy and no standing passengers. Except in containment zones, there will be no restrictions within the district. Inter-district travel is allowed between 7 am and 7 pm. There is no need for a pass but they will have to carry an identity card. At the same time, travel to far districts would still require a pass.”
Students, family members, relatives and workers stranded before the lockdown will be allowed to travel to join their families. In four-wheelers, driver plus two passengers or three from a family will be allowed. In three-wheelers, it’s driver plus one passenger or maximum three from a family. On two-wheelers, pillion ride is allowed only for a family member.
Under normal circumstances, no travel will be permitted in and out of a containment zone but if there is any emergency travel, then 14 days home quarantine or institutional quarantine would be required.
While malls can’t open, 50% of shops within shopping complexes can open as decided by the shopping complex management in consultation with LSG bodies. Barbershops and beauty parlours can open without AC with not more than two waiting customers.
The Chief Minister also announced that beverages outlets would open as and when the online system is ready. Bars can sell liquor and food as a parcel. Licensed clubs can also sell liquor and food to their members. All government offices would function with 50% attendance and the other 50% would have to work from home. Till further notice, all Saturdays would be a holiday for government offices. Government employees who are not able to travel long distances should report to the District Collector near their residence within two days. They will be deployed for Covid related work within the district.
While marriage functions will be allowed with a maximum 50 people in attendance, other functions can have only a maximum of 10 people attending it. Funeral services can have a maximum of 20 persons. All religious places will continue to be closed
Sundays would continue to be a complete lockdown day. Pass will be required for any travel on Sundays. The District Disaster Management Authority can make any specific changes if required.
Special train for stranded Malayalees from Delhi on May 20
Chief Minister, Shri Pinarayi Vijayan today informed that a special non-stop train will start from New Delhi on May 20 to bring the stranded students and others from Kerala there, back to the State. “All arrangements are in place. Steps are also being taken to run special trains from Punjab, Karnataka, Andhra, Telangana, Madhya Pradesh, Gujarat, Maharashtra, Uttar Pradesh, Jharkhand, Orissa and Bihar.”
A special train is sanctioned by railways when there are about 1,200 passengers from a state or a particular station. “If required, we will request the railways to provide an additional stop in that State for the convenience of passengers. The state is taking the necessary action in this regard”, he added.
Those who wish to travel to Kerala can book the tickets online using the link on Norka Roots website (registernorkaroots.org). Those booking tickets will be informed by SMS once the train has been decided. The online registration will also be considered as a pass to enter the State.
38 flights from different countries to Kerala till June 02
Chief Minister, Shri Pinarayi Vijayan today announced that starting today until June 02, 38 flights will be operated to Kerala to bring back the Pravasi Malayalees to the state. There will be eight flights from the UAE, six from Oman, four from Saudi Arabia, three from Qatar and two from Kuwait. There will also be one flight each from Bahrain, the Philippines, Malaysia, the UK, the USA, Australia, France, Indonesia, Armenia, Tajikistan, Ukraine, Ireland, Italy, Russia and Singapore. Overall, 6,530 passengers are expected to arrive in these flights.
Meanwhile, 5,815 people have arrived in the State from overseas till now.