Thiruvananthapuram: The Pinarayi Vijayan government on Saturday released detailed guidelines to reopen Kerala in a staggered manner from Monday as it divided the state into four zones – Red, Orange A, Orange B and Green.
The districts in the red zone - Kasaragod, Kannur, Kozhikode, Malappuram - will not have any relaxations, the guidelines said, and hotspots in each of them will remain sealed and have only two entry/exit points for supply of essential goods and services.
In other places based on the zone classification, private vehicles will be allowed in odd-even scheme within the districts, and even restaurants will be allowed dine-in facilities till 7 pm and takeout till 8 pm. Bus travel for short distances will also be allowed within districts. Strict social distancing norms will have to be followed for all these services, officials said.
In Pathanamthitta, Ernakulam and Kollam, districts under Orange A zone, partial relaxation from the lockdown will be given from April 24, while Orange B districts Alappuzha, Trivandrum, Palakkad, Wayanad and Thrissur will get partial relaxation from Monday.
The state has greatly managed to flatten the curve as fresh daily cases have dropped to the single-digit level and number of people getting discharged from hospitals greatly outnumbering new admissions. In the last 7 days, there have been just 32 new cases, while 129 Covid-19 patients have been discharged in the same time period.
The government has classified two districts, Kottayam and ldukki, in the green zone, that will greatly see restrictions being lifted from Monday.
Here’s a lowdown of what will be allowed in Orange Zone districts:
- Movement of private vehicles with odd-even scheme. Vehicles with odd numbers will be permitted on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays, while vehicles with even numbers will be allowed on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays.
- The exemption from the odd-even scheme would be only for critical services and emergency operations. Women traveling solo or with dependents are exempted from this restriction.
- Only two passengers besides the private vehicle driver can be permitted in the backseat in case of four-wheelers and only one person allowed on two-wheelers. A pillion rider is allowed if it’s a family member.
- Bus travel for short distances permitted subject to a strict discipline: no standing passengers, wearing masks compulsory and hand sanitizers should be provided to the passengers as they enter the buses. Total distance cannot more be than 50 to 60 km, limited to within the district.
- Barber shops (no cosmetics/beauty therapies) allowed to open on Saturday and Sunday but without AC. Only 2 people to wait at a time.
- Restaurants allowed to have dine-in services till 7 pm and takeout till 8 pm.
- All health services to remain functional.
- Authorized private establishments, which support the provisioning of essential services, or efforts for containment of COVID-19, including home care providers, diagnostics, and supply chain firms serving hospitals to remain functional.
- Pre-monsoon sanitation and preventive activities by Health department and local bodies allowed.
- All agricultural and horticultural activities including farming operations by farmers, ngencies engaged in procurement, marketing and sale of agriculture/horticulture/horticulture products permitted.
- Operation of Anganwadis - distribution of food and nutritional items once in 15 days at the doorsteps of beneficiaries.
- MGNREGA and Ayyankali Employment Guarantee Scheme works to be allowed with strict implementation of social distancing and face masks. Priority to be given to irrigation and water conservation works. Not more than 5 unskilled labourers in a team.
- Operations of utilities in water, sanitation and waste management sectors including garbage collection by locaI bodies or agencies authorized by Government for that purpose.
- Construction of roads, irrigation projects, buildings and all kinds of industrial projects, including MSMEs in rural areas will be allowed.
-No person with symptoms like fever, cough, shall be engaged to work. Heath check-up of migrant workers will be the responsibility of the contractor or employer.
In Green category districts, all activities, except the following will be permitted after April 20:
- No domestic and international air travel of passengers.
- No passenger movement by trains.
- Inter-district public transport of all kinds to remain banned.
- Metro rail services will remain closed.
- All educational, training, coaching institutions will remain closed.
- All cinema halls, malls, shopping complexes, gymnasiums, sports complexes, swimming pools, entertainment parks, theatres, bars and auditoriums, assembly halls will remain closed.
- All social, political, sports, entertainment, academic, cultural, religious functions and other gatherings are banned.
- All religious places shall be closed for public. Religious congregations are strictly prohibited.
- In case of funerals and marriages, congregation of more than twenty persons will not be permitted.
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