The Kerala government on Monday imposed additional restrictions on daily life in three more districts to impose social distancing more stringently to slow down the spread of COVID-19 infection.
The districts bought under a partial lockdown are Kannur, Ernakulam and Pathanamthitta. The government has limited travel to the localities and also restricted business hours for non-essential services between 7 a.m. and 5 p.m.
It has closed bars and beer and wine parlours. But, Bevco outlets will remain open in the three districts between 7 a.m. and 5 p.m. There will be no disruption in essential services. The respective district administrations will ensure the availability of milk, fruits, vegetables, rice, pulses, edible oil, food grains and other essential commodities, including fuel and cooking gas. Travel to the localities will be restricted. But there is no curb on the movement of freight.
The State had on Sunday brought Kasargode under total lockdown given the surge of COVID-19 cases in the region.
On Sunday, it had clamped prohibitory orders in Kozhikode to prevent more than five persons from congregating in public places.
Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan had chaired a cabinet meeting at the Secretariat here in the morning to decide whether the government should suspend non-essential services in more districts to enforce social distancing norms more meticulously.
The conference at the Secretariat happened against the backdrop of the Central government’s advisory to Kerala government on Sunday to allow only essential services in ten districts earmarked for a possible lockdown.
The districts flagged by the Centre as COVID-19 affected localities in Kerala are Ernakulam, Alappuzha, Idukki, Kannur, Kasargode, Kottayam, Malappuram, Pathanamthitta, Thrissur and Thiruvananthapuram.
However, the government appeared to have decided not to clampdown on life in the remaining districts until the epidemic situation warranted so.
Stricter punishments likely
The government will also amend the Epidemic Diseases Act, 1897, to regulate public life in times of outbreak more stringently. It reportedly felt the punishment of up to six months of imprisonment and a fine of not less than ₹1000 for violating the Act did not offer sufficient deterrence. The State might introduce the law with more stringent provisions urgently as an ordinance to deal with the outbreak situation.
The district administration in Kasargode had invoked the Act on Saturday to seal places of worship for two weeks. Chief Secretary Tom Jose had on Sunday empowered collectors to invoke the Act with prohibitory order under section 144 of the CrPC to enforce social distancing rules in COVID-19 affected localities.
