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‘People behaving like pre-Covid days’:Kerala backs tightening of rules, traders sceptical
Kerala health minister said the amended rules were needed to bring the focus back on the need to maintain social distancing, wear masks and maintain hand hygiene.
The Kerala government on Sunday tightened measures to check the spread of Covid-19 cases by making wearing of facemask and observance of social distancing mandatory for one year. The government backed the penal measures saying people had begun to take safety rules casually after relaxation in restrictions came into force with the stage of Unlock-1. However, the traders in the state said the tightening of norms may prove to be counterproductive for businesses.
Fine for those not wearing a mask has been increased to Rs 10,000 or to a two-year jail term. These measures will be in force for one year unless notified otherwise, said a statement from the government.
“We don’t want to lower our guard at the critical juncture. After norms were eased some people are behaving like pre-Covid days, we want to check this. As long as the virus is in our backyard we have to follow three basic norms, social distancing, masks and hand hygiene,” said state health minister K K Shailaja explaining the rationale behind the extension.
Kerala records 225 new Covid-19 cases
The government had amended the Kerala Epidemic Diseases Control Ordinance 2020 on Saturday to give it more teeth. Earlier, the fine for not wearing a mask was Rs 2000. The amendment has also made social distancing mandatory for at least one year and restricted the number of participants for wedding parties to less than 50. For all social gatherings, protests and rallies, a written sanction of authorities will be needed, said the statement.
Spitting in public places has also been made an offence punishable with a fine or jail term. In shops and other business establishments, the amendment limits the presence of people to a maximum of 20, depending on the size of the trading area. Even at work places, masks are mandatory and wearing them casually will also invite a fine. Business establishments have been asked to avoid air-conditioning and closed enclosures and told to maintain office temperature in the range of 25 and 27 degree Celsius.
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While Indian Medical Association’s Kerala chapter, which had called for stricter norms, welcomed the move, the traders and businessmen were guarded in their reaction.
“Containment measures are welcome but at the same time, the government will have to ensure a proper atmosphere for traders. Even in the worst-hit areas in Tamil Nadu and Mumbai, these norms have not been extended to one year,” said M P Prashanth,a trader in Chalai market in Thiruvananthapuram.
The state gold and silver merchants’ association also said such measures will send wrong signals.
The tightening of measures follows the number of Covid infections going past the 200 mark for the past three days. With 225 fresh cases on Sunday, the total number of infections in the state went up to 5,429. However, the number of total recoveries stands at 3,174 leaving 2,228 active cases. With one more death registered in the last 24 hours, the death toll has gone up to 26. Though a majority of fresh cases are imported--either expatriates or people arriving from other states-- the number of secondary infections are also on the rise.
In state capital Thiruvananthapuram alone, at least 22 secondary infections were reported on Sunday, forcing the authorities to enforce a total lockdown. Earlier in the day, state tourism minister Kadakampally Surendran said the situation in the state capital was really serious.
