Kerala Withdraws Relaxing Lockdown Norms, Cites Communication Gap 

KOCHI: The Kerala government has withdrawn the decision to relax lockdown norms in certain areas saying that this happened due to the communication gap, a daily reported. The home ministry had issued a letter to all chief secretaries of state to stick to the lockdown guidelines Centre had issued.

The government had earlier defended the decision saying Centre was aware of it.

The state government had announced the relaxation of COVID-19 lockdown restrictions in two zones, allowing among other private vehicles movement on an odd-even basis and dine-in services at hotels from Monday. State police chief Loknath Behera said the relaxations of restrictions imposed would come into effect in the Green and Orange-B zones in the state from Monday, an official release said.

In a letter to the Kerala government, the home ministry said the state government on April 17 has circulated revised guidelines for lockdown measures which allowed the opening of activities which are prohibited in the Centre's consolidated revised guidelines issued on April 15.

Such additional activities allowed by the government of Kerala, include the opening of local workshops, barbershops, restaurants, book stores, MSMEs in municipal limits, bus travel in cities and towns for a shorter distance, two passengers in the back seat of four-wheeler and pillion riding on scooters. This amounts to dilution of guidelines issued by the home ministry and violation of its April 15 order issued under the Disaster Management Act 2005, the home ministry said.

Kerala on Monday has recorded 402 confirmed COVID-19 cases while three have passed away. Two new cases were reported on April 20 in Kerala, and 270 have recovered.

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