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No total lockdown in Kerala; weekend curbs to continue to check COVID-19 surge

Political parties decided not to organise victory celebrations after election results

45-Pinarayi-Vijayan Pinarayi Vijayan | Sanjay Ahlawat

An all-party meeting in Thiruvananthapuram on Monday decided not to impose total lockdown in Kerala to fight COVID-19.

The meeting, chaired by Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan, however, resolved to enforce strict restrictions in containment zones.

Political parties decided not to organise victory celebrations and other crowd gathering events after the announcement of Kerala assembly election results on May 2.

The mini-lockdown on weekends will continue for the time being and shops will be allowed to operate only till 7.30pm.

The Kerala High Court will be informed about the decisions. The court had earlier sought the government's stance after a plea was led in court, seeking lockdown.

Important decisions from the all-party meeting

• Shops should be allowed to open till 7.30pm

• Strict curbs to be enforced in containment zones and places where Test Positivity Rate is high

• No victory celebrations or crowding after the announcement of assembly election results

• Political parties should rein in their workers from holding victory celebrations

• Number of devotees in places of worship could be decided depending on the size of the structure

Drastic action to hinder spread of new strains of virus

A high-level expert committee that convened on Sunday recommended the imposition of a two-week lockdown in the state in view of the rapid spread of the UK strain of the coronavirus.

With the increase in inter-state travel, the double mutant variant seen in Maharashtra too is expected to hit Kerala soon. Its spread can be contained only through a strictly enforced lockdown, the expert committee opined.

Though similar committees had recommended a lockdown in Punjab and Haryana during the second wave, the respective state governments were against excercising this drastic option. The full impact of this decision is being felt in several places including Delhi now.

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