The Kerala government has initiated measures to cushion the economic fallout of COVID-19 with the State beginning to feel the economic impact of the pandemic directly. Trade and commerce are coming almost to a standstill and many small and medium enterprises are facing the heat.
Briefing media after an all-party meeting held here on Monday to discuss the COVID-19 situation, Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan said the government would give more time to the businesses, including motor service operators, taxi and auto drivers, to pay their taxes. He urged banks to declare a three-month moratorium on debt recovery. The government would soon call a meeting of the State-level Banking Committee to discuss the issue.
Unemployment threat
The COVID-19 threat had cleared the streets of people and vehicles. Loss of wages and employment stare at the face of thousands. “It is a dire situation,” he said.
As people have reduced travel, the Kerala State Road Transport Corporation is staring at losses worth crores. The tourism industry has been the hardest hit because of the restrictions put in place, affecting the livelihood of many.
Expressing concern, Mr. Vijayan said while the containment efforts would go on, life should not come to a halt. Kerala is required to strike a delicate balance between the need for caution to limit the spread of the virus and the requirement to minimise the economic and social disruption the outbreak has caused. All political parties in the State have pledged their support for the government’s efforts, he said.
Crowding at airports
Henceforth, paramedics would screen domestic passengers for flu-like symptoms in airports. Authorities should minimise crowds at airports. Obliquely referring to the reception accorded to a reality television star outside the Cochin airport, Mr. Vijayan said the government viewed the “challenge against the State” seriously.
He said the police would escort air passengers with flu symptoms to hospitals or their homes for self-isolation in sanitised vans or buses. The State would not allow passengers with COVID-19 symptoms to travel on their own to their destinations. He also urged Customs to expedite the processes at airports to prevent queues and overcrowding.
On Census procedure
Mr. Vijayan said the State would hold the Census as per schedule. Census information is essential for national planning. The State had halted the work on the controversial National Population Register in December last. Enumerators would stick to the 31 questions notified in the gazette. The questionnaire is not much different from the one used for the 2011 census. Mr. Vijayan blamed the Centre for precipitating a political situation that sowed mistrust in the people about the Census.
