Kerala govt issues COVID-19 guidelines for Onam festival; public celebrations prohibited

On Wednesday, the Kerala government issued guidelines for the celebrations of Onam festival till September 2 to prevent the spread of novel coronavirus. These guidelines shall be applicable to non-containment zones. Public Onam celebrations and crowding in the name of Onam Sandhya shall be prohibited. People have been advised to avoid non-essential travel.

No flower vendors from outside Kerala will be permitted during the festival period. With 2,476 fresh COVID-19 cases reported in Kerala, the total number of active cases stands at 22,344. So far, 41,694 patients have recovered from COVID-19. 

Here are the guidelines:

• Shops shall remain open from 7 am to 9 pm in non-containment zones. The maximum number of customers allowed to be inside the shop at a time will be displayed outside.
• The shopkeepers will mark circles where the customers can stand and shall provide them hand sanitizer.
• Cashless transactions will be encouraged in shops.
• Public markets can function with a limit on the entry of people, capping of the time spent by shoppers, less crowding, and markings on the ground for social distancing.
• Shopping malls and textile shops can operate with appropriate arrangements.
• Malls and hypermarkets should promote home delivery of essential items with a minimum purchase limit.
• Other businesses will encourage online transactions and function with 50% capacity.
• People have been advised to avoid festivals and exhibitions.
• Hotels and restaurants should close by 9 pm.
• Food Safety Officers will conduct regular inspections in all eateries to ensure food safety. 
• The Health Department will assess the risk of COVID-19 spread on the use of fresh flowers for 'Onam Pookalam' and issue a specific advisory in this regard.

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Novel coronavirus crisis

Currently, there are 32,34,474 confirmed novel coronavirus cases in India out of which 24,67,758 patients have recovered while 59,449 fatalities have been reported. With 63,173 COVID-19 patients getting cured in the last 24 hours, the country's recovery rate stands at 76.30%. Meanwhile, the case fatality rate has dipped to 1.84%. After 8,23,992 tests were conducted in the last 24 hours, the number of tests done in India has increased to 3,76,51,512. The number of COVID-19 testing labs rose to 1540 including 992 labs in the government sector and 548 private labs. 

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