Kochi grounded on New Year’s eve

Since Covid-related restrictions were relaxed a few months ago, lives had started getting back to normal

Illus: soumyadip sinha

KOCHI: It is Jissmon Joseph’s second New Year in Kochi. “Looks like it is going to be a shut-in one. But without the curfew, people would crowd the streets and flout social distancing norms. Obviously, we are all frustrated, considering the stress we have been under, but the virus is no joke,” he says. Like many others spending New Year away from their families, Jissmon is planning a house party with friends too.

Sarah Mariam (name changed) was looking forward to this New Year. She used to attend the mass at church and spend a quiet evening with her family. If she is in Kochi, she would go out for dinner with friends. “As the curfew begins at 10pm, there won’t be enough time to eat out. I will be at work till 8-8.30pm. Besides, I have to go to work on January 1, so I will be at my flat, getting some sleep,” said Sarah, a dentist.

However, she believes the night curfew will not help the situation much. “If there was no curfew in place, people would have been forced to stick to Covid protocol at events and parties. Now, people will attend house parties, where the number of participants will not be monitored. Fewer people will wear masks and use sanitisers. Moreover, many Kochiites are heading to Goa for the New Year. Since RT-PCR is not mandatory now for people to re-enter Kerala, most of them could get infected and spread the virus faster. Just two hours of restriction every night won’t do much good if you ask me,” says Sarah.

Michelle John, a hotel employee in the city, says she never planned anything for this New Year anyway because the Omicron scare was looming large. “I have been following the news closely. When Omicron started spreading abroad and was reported in India, I anticipated the situation would turn grim soon. It is good that we have restrictions in place to prevent further problems,” says Michellle.

• State government imposed night curfew in Kerala from December 30 to January 2    
• People cannot go out between 10pm and 5am 
• Along with Kerala, states like Karnataka, Maharashtra, Delhi and others have also imposed strict restrictions due to increasing number of Omicron cases
• Many city folks in Kochi are planning to stay in and celebrate New Year this time. However, some are planning Goa trips due to the night curfew here