Ker: Shops remain shut, vehicles off the roads as total lockdown on Sundays comes into force

Thiruvananthauram, May 10 () Shops remained shutand vehicles were off the roads in Kerala as the stategovernment's order on total shutdown on Sundays came intoforce since morning as part of the efforts to prevent thespread of COVID-19.

The Left government had on Saturday night issued anorder on "total shutdown across the state on Sundays" whileexempting shops selling essential items and essentialservices.

While Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan, had said onFriday that Kerala had "flattened the curve" after the stateregistered cases in single digits, two new cases-- expatriateswho had returned to the state from Abu Dhabi and Dubai onSaturday, hadtested positive, causing concern as overfourlakh people had registered with the NORKA portal wanting toreturn to the state.

Roads remained empty across the state and shops wereclosed, except those selling essentials, including milk andmedicines.

Hospitals, labs and media among others will bepermittedto function on Sundays.

With a view to prevent the spread of COVID-19, improvethe quality of life, reduce the carbon emissions, protect theenvironment and greenery of the State, the Standard OperatingProtocols (SOPs) for lockdown would be observed on Sundaysacross the State, the order by Chief Secretary Tom Jose said.

"Sundays will be observed as total shutdown days untilfurther orders," it said.

The order permits functioning of departments, agenciesand activities connected with containment of COVID-19,movement of goods vehicles, agencies in the field of wastedisposal, take away counters of hotels can remain open from 8am to 9 pm, and online delivery platform till 10 pm.

"Movement of persons on Sundays are allowed only forhealth emergencies, government servants on emergency dutiesand persons engaged in activities connected with COVID-19containment, persons involved in the activities from exemptedin the order, priests and other religious persons responsiblefor conducting rituals in worship places," the order said.

Movement of persons, if case of any exigencies, willbe allowed only with the travel passes obtained from DistrictCollector or police authorities concerned, the order statedadding certain major roads of Thiruvananthapuram, Kochi andKozhikode will also remain closed on Sundays.

Kerala was among the first states in India to reportthe deadly virus infection, but it has also earned globalpraise for having effectively managed to tackle the crisis bybeing among the states with much higher recovery rates andmuch less-spread outbreak so far.

Vijayan said the new cases wasa "warning" to thosereturning to the home state from abroad and other states to beon the alert.

He also said there is a need to strengthen "ourmitigation efforts and preventive measures".

For several days in the recent weeks, the state hadreported either nil or just 1-2 fresh cases.

There areonly 17 active cases now, with485 peopleout of the total COVIV-19 cases of 505 recovering.

Three, including a four-month-old baby girl lost theirlives to the virus. RRT UD SS