Kerala Govt to Allow Restaurant Dining Till 7pm, Odd-Even Scheme in Non-Hotspots

Thiruvananthapuram: The Pinarayi Vijayan government on Saturday released detailed guidelines to reopen Kerala in a staggered manner from Monday as it divided the state into four zones – Red, Orange A, Orange B and Green.

The districts in the red zone - Kasaragod, Kannur, Kozhikode, Malappuram - will not have any relaxations, the guidelines said, and hotspots in each of them will remain sealed and have only two entry/exit points for supply of essential goods and services.

In different spots dependent on the zone order, private vehicles will be permitted in odd-even plan inside the areas, and even eateries will be permitted feast in offices till 7 pm and takeout till 8 pm. Transport travel for short separations will likewise be permitted inside locale. Severe social separating standards should be followed for every one of these administrations, authorities said. 

In Pathanamthitta, Ernakulam and Kollam, locale under Orange A zone, fractional unwinding from the lockdown will be given from April 24, while Orange B regions Alappuzha, Trivandrum, Palakkad, Wayanad and Thrissur will get incomplete unwinding from Monday. 

The state has extraordinarily figured out how to smooth the bend as new every day cases have dropped to the single-digit level and number of individuals getting released from emergency clinics enormously dwarfing new affirmations. Over the most recent 7 days, there have been only 32 new cases, while 129 Covid-19 patients have been released in a similar timeframe. 

The administration has ordered two areas, Kottayam and ldukki, in the green zone, that will significantly observe limitations being lifted from Monday. 

Here's a lowdown of what will be permitted in Orange Zone regions: 

- Movement of private vehicles with odd-even plan. Vehicles with odd numbers will be allowed on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays, while vehicles with even numbers will be permitted on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays. 

- The exclusion from the odd-even plan would be just for basic administrations and crisis activities. Ladies voyaging solo or with wards are absolved from this limitation.

- Only two passengers besides the private vehicle driver can be permitted in the backseat in case of four-wheelers and only one person allowed on two-wheelers. A pillion rider is allowed if it’s a family member.

- Bus travel for short distances permitted subject to a strict discipline: no standing passengers, wearing masks compulsory and hand sanitizers should be provided to the passengers as they enter the buses. Total distance cannot more be than 50 to 60 km, limited to within the district.

- Barber shops (no cosmetics/beauty



therapies) allowed to open on Saturday and Sunday but without AC. Only 2 people to wait at a time.

- Restaurants allowed to have dine-in services till 7 pm and takeout till 8 pm.

- All health services to remain functional.

- Authorized private establishments, which support the provisioning of essential services, or efforts for containment of COVID-19, including home care providers, diagnostics, and supply chain firms serving hospitals to remain functional.

- Pre-monsoon sanitation and preventive activities by Health department and local bodies allowed.

- All agricultural and horticultural activities including farming operations by farmers, ngencies engaged in procurement, marketing and sale of agriculture/horticulture/horticulture products permitted.

- Operation of Anganwadis - distribution of food and nutritional items once in 15 days at the doorsteps of beneficiaries.

- MGNREGA and Ayyankali Employment Guarantee Scheme works to be allowed with strict implementation of social distancing and face masks. Priority to be given to irrigation and water conservation works. Not more than 5 unskilled labourers in a team.

- Operations of utilities in water, sanitation and waste management sectors including garbage collection by locaI bodies or agencies authorized by Government for that purpose.

- Construction of roads, irrigation projects, buildings and all kinds of industrial projects, including MSMEs in rural areas will be allowed.

-No person with symptoms like fever, cough, shall be engaged to work. Heath check-up of migrant workers will be the responsibility of the contractor or employer.

In Green category districts, all activities, except the following will be permitted after April 20:

- No domestic and international air travel of passengers.

- No passenger movement by trains.

- Inter-district public transport of all kinds to remain banned.

- Metro rail services will remain closed.

- All educational, training, coaching institutions will remain closed.

- All cinema halls, malls, shopping complexes, gymnasiums, sports complexes, swimming pools, entertainment parks, theatres, bars and auditoriums, assembly halls will remain closed.

- All social, political, sports, entertainment, academic, cultural, religious functions and other gatherings are banned.

- All religious places shall be closed for public. Religious congregations are strictly prohibited.

- In case of funerals and marriages, congregation of more than twenty persons will not be permitted.