THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The state government has decided to relax lockdown restrictions for three days from Sunday in view of the Bakrid festival. The weekend lockdown announced will be in effect only on Saturday and shops will function on Sunday.
The decision to allow seamless functioning of shops in local body areas where Covid test positivity rate (TPR) is below 15% was taken during a meeting convened by Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan with leaders of Kerala Vyapari Vyavasayi Ekopana Samithi (KVVES) here on Friday. Along with shops selling essential items, footwear, fancy, textiles, electronic and jewellery stores can open till 8pm on June 18, 19 and 20 in all areas falling under A, B and C classification based on TPR. In D category local bodies where TPR is above 15%, relaxations won’t be applicable. In Kerala, Bakrid will be celebrated on Wednesday.
During the meeting with the chief minister, KVVES representatives led by T Naseeruddin demanded that all shops be allowed to function throughout the week. Citing Bakrid and the Onam season that follows, they said the traders see these festivals as their last ray of hope for survival. They said the traders across the state had lost business during Onam in the last three years owing to Covid and flood.
The CM replied that time was not ripe for relaxing all restrictions. A formula to allow opening of shops for three days ahead of Bakrid was arrived at during the discussion. By next Wednesday, the expert committee will meet to review lockdown restrictions.
Traders raise tax relief demand with Pinarayi
“The CM heard us patiently and assured us of favourable decisions,” Naseeruddin said after the discussion. The CM also clarified that his remarks while in New Delhi asking traders to be careful were not meant to be a threat. The traders’ representatives said their announcement to open shops was also not intended to breach lockdown curbs but was part of a token strike.
The protest by traders gathered momentum on Monday when they ventured to open shops at SM Street in Kozhikode, violating lockdown restrictions. The CM then warned them of serious consequences but the tension was eased soon with the intervention of CPM leaders, including MP A M Ariff and former MLA V K C Mammadkoya. The CPM state secretariat that met here on Friday morning also discussed the Covid scenario and asked the government to settle the issue with traders amicably.
“The government can introduce relaxations in lockdown curbs only by discharging its social responsibility. Our primary concern is to save the lives of the people. Those who now demand relaxations will blame the government if the pandemic situation goes out of hand,” said CPM state secretary in-charge A Vijayaraghavan.
During Friday’s discussion, KVVES also raised the issue of tax relief for traders, withdrawal of power tariff hike and stopping harassment by police and officials. The CM promised to consider withdrawal of cases registered against protesting traders in Kozhikode.
Shops to open
Along with shops selling essential items, footwear, fancy, textiles, electronic and jewellery stores can open till 8pm on June 18, 19 and 20 in all local body areas where the TPR is below 15%
Relaxations not applicable
In local bodies where test positivity rate is above 15%
RT-PCR -VE REPORT NOT NEEDED FOR FULLY VACCINATED
T’Puram: People who have taken both doses of Covid vaccine need not submit an RT-PCR negative certificate for purposes which mandated the test result earlier. This will be applicable for people coming to Kerala from other states too. They need to produce the vaccination certificate which shows that they have taken both the doses, said an order issued by Chief Secretary V P Joy.