Pregnant women allowed to work from home, restrictions in malls; govt imposes strict restrictions

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The Kerala government has decided to impose more restrictions in the state in the wake of the surge in COVID cases. Thiruvananthapuram and Ernakulam have recorded a high number of COVID cases. Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan has directed the district collectors to identify COVID clusters and impose necessary restrictions. The decision to intensify the restrictions was taken in the COVID review meeting chaired by the Chief Minister.

Data related to COVID should be made available to the concerned departments like Police, Local Self Government and Revenue by the Health Department through the COVID Jagratha portal. Pregnant women working in government offices will be allowed to work from home. The government also said that all official programs at government, semi-government, Public Sector Undertakings and cooperative institutions should be conducted online.

A maximum of 50 people will be allowed to attend social, cultural and community programs in districts where the Test Positivity Rate (TPR) is above 20 percent. Special permission must be obtained from the authorities in situations where more people are required to attend. Public events will not be allowed in districts where the TPR is above 30 percent.

All commercial establishments should promote online booking and sales. Malls have been directed to avoid crowding of people by allowing one person in an area of 25 square feet. This should be ensured by the district administration. The CM directed the concerned department to request the Sabarimala devotees who had booked for online darshan from January 16 to postpone their visit in the wake of the rise in COVID cases.

The health department is taking necessary precautions in view of the spread of Omicron. The co-operation of the ward level committees is essential in the current situation where Covid cases are increasing.