THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: In the wake of the Omicron scare, the Kerala government has restricted the number of people allowed at gatherings. Only 75 people are allowed for indoor functions and 150 for those held outdoors. Earlier, it was 150 and 300 respectively.
The new restrictions are applicable for weddings, funerals, social, cultural and political functions. The decision was taken in the weekly Covid review meeting chaired by Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan. The meeting however did not take any decision on reintroducing night curfew.
The meeting also decided to strengthen the testing of symptomatic passengers from other countries at airports. The state has reported 181 cases so far, of which 42 have been discharged. As many as 52 came from high-risk countries, 109 from other
countries and 20 got infected through local contact.
The Chief Minister directed officials to speed up the compensation payment to the families of people who died of Covid. The delay in paying compensation attracted criticism from the Supreme Court last month. Pinarayi said the health department would soon release the Covid treatment protocol at home in the wake of the Omicron spread.