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Confusion reigns in Kerala as govt preps to implement new pandemic norms
With fresh cases increasing manifold, the government had announced a new set of pandemic control guidelines but traders said the new norms will invite more trouble rather than solving their woes. There was chaos and confusion at many places and agitated traders asked the government to provide enough vaccines before enforcing such rules.
A day after the Kerala government announced revised Covid-19 regulations making vaccines and RT-PCR tests mandatory for shoppers and employees, confusion prevailed across the state even as it reported another high with 22,040 new cases.
When 1,63,376 samples were tested 20,040 were found positive with a test positivity rate of 13.49%. The state also reported 117 deaths taking the toll to 17,328. The number of active cases also rose to 1,77,924. In the last 24 hours, the country reported 42,982 positive cases with Kerala’s share being more than 50%, health ministry statistics show. Out of 533 deaths, the state reported 117.
With fresh cases increasing manifold, the government had announced a new set of pandemic control guidelines but traders said the new norms will invite more trouble rather than solving their woes. There was chaos and confusion at many places and agitated traders asked the government to provide enough vaccines before enforcing such rules. “In the guise of minimising our trouble the government hiked our difficulties,” said M K Chandran, a trader in Chala market in the state capital.
According to the new guidelines, only those who have taken at least one dose of the vaccine before two weeks, or who are in possession of RT-PCR negative certificates taken 72 hours before or who are in possession of Covid-19 positive results more than a month old, will be allowed inside shops, banks and other establishments. This is applicable to both workers as well as visitors. Many banks reported thin attendance on Thursday.
The Congress-led opposition staged a walkout from the assembly on Thursday saying health minister Veena George’s announcement in the assembly and the chief secretary’s order regarding the new regulations were contradictory.
Opposition leader VD Satheesan said in the minister’s announcement in the assembly neither a mandatory vaccine nor RT-PCR test certificate was mentioned. The government’s move to make these certificates mandatory to enter shops will add to the woes of the trading community and it will give more space to law-enforcement agencies to trouble them, he said.
But the minister insisted that all would have to follow the new restrictions in the light of the rising cases in the state. However, the opposition leader said only 42.12% of the population had received vaccines and how could the government insist on certificates. He said the police were on a “fine spree” and new regulations would lead to a ‘fine raj’.
The minister though rejected the charges of the opposition. “We need strict measures. What the government announced was accepted norms in virus-hit areas. There is no difference between what I read in the house and the one which later came as an order,” she said. Later opposition members stormed out of the assembly saying her explanations were not satisfactory.
After many flaws were detected in home isolation, the government has also decided to strengthen grassroot Asha and health workers to enforce quarantine strictly. The central team that visited the state also expressed reservations over the lax home quarantine. The latest genome study conducted by the Institute of Genomic and Integrative Biology (IGIB) Delhi shows the highly contagious Delta variant is playing havoc in the state. Many experts said the volume of cases is worrying not the depth of the infection. They further added that hospitals are not witnessing unusual rush despite the high rate of infection.
