Kerala goes into lockdown from May 8 to 16, 2021 following a massive increase in the toll due to COVID-19.
With Covid-19 cases surging and hospitals overflowing with patients in Kerala, Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan on Wednesday sent a letter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi seeking additional liquid medical oxygen cylinders and vaccines.
Police have intensified checking of vehicles in the State. The law enforcement has set up checkpoints at inter-State borders. A distress helpline (112) to rush help to citizens in crisis during the lockdown.
The lockdown kicked in at 6 a.m. on May 8 to May 16.
What are the services available?
Shops selling food, groceries, fruits and vegetables, dairy products, meat and fish, animal fodder, poultry and cattle feed and bakeries will remain open till 7.30 p.m. Hotel food can be delivered home only as a parcel.
Banks will function till 1 p.m. on Monday, Wednesday and Friday.
The police will not restrict traditional fishers and hawkers.
People have not been stopped from travelling to hospitals or to the vaccination centres to get their COVID-19 jab.
Movement of house helps and caregivers for elderly and bedridden persons also have been permitted. They should carry a self-attested declaration with them.
Medicines for patients
The Chief Minister has informed that life saving medicines for critical patients will be delivered through Highway Police. They will work along with Fire and Rescue Services in this regard.
What do the citizens need to do?
Ideally, people should wear an N-95 mask in public. Otherwise, they should wear a surgical mask over a cloth mask. Persons should maintain a physical distance of a minimum of two metres.
Citizens should confine their shopping to neighbourhood stores. An official said those who ventured a good way from their homes without reason or violated the mask and physical distancing mandate risked detention and fine.
The police will invoke the sweeping powers granted by the disaster management act to stop and question people, including pedestrians and motorists, randomly.
The emphasis is on home delivery. Indoor dining is banned. So are takeaways. Hotel food can be delivered home only as a parcel.
However, a hotel owner said most establishments were likely to remain closed due to the non-availability of staff during the lockdown.
What will be unavailable?
Public transport, including inter-district stage carriage services, are suspended. All roadways and water ways transport services will remain suspended.
The entire fleet of the state-owned Kerala State Road Transport Corporation (KSRTC) will be off the road during the State-wide lockdown from May 8 to 16.
The decision not to operate the services of the KSRTC during the nine lockdown period commencing from 6 a.m. on Saturday is to curb the movement of the commuters in inter-district and inter-state corridors.
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