THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Kerala on Monday rolled back some of its relaxations vis-a-vis the ongoing lockdown after the Centre's objection to ''dilution'' of curbs. The state government has revised its decision to open up restaurants and MSMEs and operate public transport. Following this, the district administrations of Kottayam and Idukki announced that some of the relaxations have been rolled back in order to ensure public safety.

Kerala government, which had announced relaxing some curbs on Sunday, decided not to allow plying of buses in cities, opening of restaurants and pillion riding on two-wheelers after the Centre took strong objection to the easing of restrictions. It had earlier decided to give relaxations in some COVID-19 restrictions in Green and Orange B zones. These included allowing private vehicles movement in an odd-even basis and dine-in services at hotels from Monday.

According to the Kottayam District Collector, lockdown restrictions will be in place in the district till May 3 and strong action will be taken against those people who violate the restrictions. Only take away will be allowed in restaurants and barber shops will remain shut, he said.

Earlier on Monday, the Centre had shot off a letter to the state government, coming down heavily for its decision to allow opening of restaurants, bus travel in cities and opening of MSME units in urban areas, saying it amounts to dilution of the lockdown guidelines and also a Supreme Court observation.

Initially calling it a "misunderstanding" due to which the Centre had objected to easing of the lockdown protocol to control coronavirus, the government later decided to roll back some of the relaxations and Chief Secretary Tom Jose asserted that the Centre and the states "are in this fight (against coronavirus) together".

The decision was taken at a meeting Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan held with Jose on Monday, official sources said.

The Union Home Secretary, in a letter to the Kerala chief secretary, objected to the additional relaxations, saying it amounted to "dilution" of lockdown guidelines issued on April 15 under the Disaster Management Act, 2005. It said Kerala had on April 17 circulated revised guidelines for lockdown measures which allowed opening of activities that are prohibited in the Centre's consolidated guidelines issued after the national lockdown was extended till May 3.

State Tourism Minister Kadakampally Surendran admitted there was some "misunderstanding" due to which the centre had objected to relaxations, but insisted that the easing of curbs was done in accordance with the Centre's guidelines. Long queues of vehicles, including in hotspots, were witnessed as lockdown restrictions were eased in some places. At Thiruvananthapuram-Kollam border at Kilimanoor, a long line of four-wheelers was seen this morning in violation of the restrictions despite ban on inter-district travel.