Coronavirus | No Statewide lockdown, but strict curbs: Kerala CM Pinarayi Vijayan

Norms’ violation to attract criminal prosecution, restrictions on travel, socialising to continue

The government has tasked the State police with imposing the COVID-19 health protocol without any dilution, Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan has said.

Wearing of masks, observing curfew hours, abiding by restrictions on travel and shopping and physical distancing had become legally enforceable norms, Mr. Vijayan said on Monday. He was speaking to the media here after chairing a special Cabinet session via videoconferencing. Any breach of the regulations would attract arrest and open the door for criminal prosecution.

The government was not inclined to impose a Statewide lockdown for now. However, it would impose strict curbs on travel, retail trade, and socialising in critical containment areas and at a lesser degree in buffer zones. The authorities would shut down localities where large community clusters and new flare-ups had popped up.

Grim scene in capital

The strategy was to prevent the contagion from radiating out from hotspots to neighbouring localities. The pandemic situation in Thiruvananthapuram Corporation continued to be grim. The city would remain under lockdown until further notice. A committee headed by Chief Secretary Vishwas Mehta would evaluate the situation and decide whether to relax lockdown regulations in the capital from Wednesday.

 

Flak and praise

Mr. Vijayan appeared to obliquely criticise K. Muraleedharan, MP, who had expressed regret for having attended a marriage function that caused 40 participants to contract the virus. He said persons who should lead by example should conduct themselves responsibly.

Mr. Vijayan showcased the example of Jinil, a political activist, who rushed a snakebite victim, a child, who was in quarantine in her house in Panathoor in Kasaragod district, to the hospital.

He also reserved high praise for Mary Anitha, a doctor, of Kochi for having taken care of an infant when its parents were under COVID-19 treatment.

Order to prosecute

Mr. Vijayan ordered the police to prosecute a group of persons who had prevented the relatives of a COVID-19 victim from cremating the body at Muttambalam in Kottayam. He lambasted the BJP councillor who led the protest.

A digital first

Officials said the Cabinet meeting was conducted online, arguably for the first time, since the worrying pandemic situation had forced several Ministers to remain in their home districts to manage the outbreak.

Hence, the Chief Minister had abandoned a conventional face-to-face cabinet meeting for a secure web conference. A few Ministers in the capital, including Revenue Minister E. Chandrasekharan and Health Minister K.K. Shylaja, participated in the meeting in person.

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