On Sunday, the State seemed on track to extend the duration of restrictions on civic life to slow down the spread of COVID-19.
Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan will chair an all-party meeting on Monday to arrive at a general agreement on whether or not to widen the scope of the curbs.
Mr. Vijayan hinted on Saturday that the State was in the long haul for an extended period of restraints on daily life. He had urged people to hold off unessential events ‘for at least a month’.
An official said much would hinge on the trajectory of the current phase of the pestilence. The daily caseload and transmission rate would determine the nature and intensity of future stipulations.
The government has attempted to walk a tightrope between imposing a strict pandemic code and keeping the economy ticking to protect jobs. The 9 p.m. to 5 a.m. curfew was expected to continue.
The administration would take a call on continuing the ban on non-essential travel and indoor dining. Work from home arrangement would stay. Schools, colleges and cultural venues were likely to remain shuttered.
The government seemed disposed to restrict the number of attendees at social gatherings further.
The government would also seek broad political support to procure vaccines against long odds, including pricing and availability. It would soon unveil its plan for rapid and universal vaccination.
Finance Minister T.M. Thomas Isaac told a television channel that the government had budgeted for vaccine procurement. The meeting would also make an accurate assessment of the availability of hospital beds, steroids, anti-viral drugs, paramedical staff and supplemental oxygen.
The government would also assess how the worrying pandemic situation in North India and the neighbouring States of Tamil Nadu and Karnataka would impact the State's food security. Kerala was a predominantly consumer State and relied heavily on food imports. The State's current grain, edible oil, wheat, pulses and sugar storage levels were reportedly optimal. But, it has to guard against any disruption in freight movement.
Leader of the Opposition Ramesh Chennithala expressed reservations about imposing an economically crippling State-wide lockdown. He instead batted for extending business timings to prevent the press of people.
A total curb on business would wipe out jobs and crater the economy. The administration should narrow strict controls to hotspots and allow life to go on outside demarcated containment zones. The UDF would back the government's pandemic control efforts, he said.
