No COVID lockdown in Kerala on Independence Day and Onam on August 22

In the wake of the surge in COVID-19 cases in Kerala, State Health Minister Veena George on August 4 declared there would be no lockdown on Independence Day, August 15. She also clarified that the CM Vijayan Pinarayi-led government intended to lift pandemic shutdown restrictions on August 22 as well, in view of the Onam festival. 

Further, Veena George stated that weekend lockdown shall be imposed only on Sunday while local shop timings would be 7 am to 9 pm for six days a week.

Wedding and funeral attendees in Kerala capped at 40

Veena George, who made a statement in this regard in the State Assembly, said it would be a triple lockdown for shops located in an area, where over 10 in 1,000 people of the population are infected in a week.

"In other places, shops will be allowed to operate six days in a week considering the current general situation in the state and the progress of the vaccination," she said, adding that it can function from 7 am till 9 pm.

However, the minister urged the shops and business establishments to make special arrangements to avoid the rush and ensure social distancing in their premises on account of the festival season. Meetings would be held with local self-government bodies, police and traders in this regard, she added.

Observing heightened infections in the state, the government has capped the number of attendees for wedding and funeral ceremonies at 20.

Noting that the practice of avoiding political, cultural and social gatherings which used to attract huge crowds, should continue, George said people should visit the places of worship considering the area and space. A maximum of 40 people can visit the places of worship which are generally spacious.

COVID-19 in Kerala

Kerala recorded 23,676 new coronavirus cases and 148 deaths on Tuesday. The total number of cases now stands at 34,49,149. 

According to the Kerala Health Minister's statement, a total of 13,325 fatalities have been recorded till June 15, 2021. RT-PCR testing is mandated to record COVID-19 deaths, and it is totally up to the doctor who will ascertain whether the death is due to COVID-19 or not. Since June 15, the death count is being reported in a decentralised manner from each district, and all the data is uploaded to the state COVID list after being examined by the health officials. The list of COVID-19 deaths is already available with every district health office and will be provided to the hospitals in each panchayat from where people can check the list. The committees have also performed to monitor the situation in the state. George added that the severity of the pandemic has decreased in the state, leading to a decrease in hospital and ICU occupancy.