Since the outbreak of the COVID-19 virus last year, festival, celebrations and gatherings have remained rather subdued. Now, as Kerala celebrates the 10 day-long festival of Onam followed by several other occasions, the state government has issued a fresh set of advisory and guidelines to ensure COVID-19 protocols during the celebration. Kerala has been one of the worst affected states by the virus, and even as the number of new cases continues to take a dip in other parts of the country, the state recorded over 21,000 thousand new cases in the past 24 years.
The gathering during the festival could deteriorate the condition further, so the government decided to take the virtual route for the celebrations this year. CM Pinarayi Vijayan marked the start of the 10 day-long celebrations on August 14. While the festival will go on till August 23, the main celebration day known as Thiru Onam (Thiruvonam) will fall on August 21.
Read: Onam 2021: Kerala Governor Extends Onam Greetings
The state government will also be hosting virtual events and competitions highlighting the tourist destination, art, food, and culture of the state. In wake of the situation, the government has asked people to keep the celebration minimum and all functions to be conducted inside the homes.
Read: Onam Pookalam Designs 2021: Beautiful and Simple Rangoli Designs With Flowers for Onam 2021, See Images
The government has banned any large gathering for Onam, Muharram, Janmashtami, Ganesh Chaturthi and Durga Pooja. This decision came after the central government issued an advisory to state governments to check on large gatherings in the upcoming festival season
Here’s the list of the latest guidelines issued by the Kerala Government:
- Stricter lockdown rules and check on movement will be ensured in Panchayats or Urban areas where the COVID-19 infection spread is critical and Weekly Infection Population Ratio (WIPR) is above 8.
- Government will intensify its testing in areas where new cases are on the rise.
- People who haven’t received any vaccine dose or don’t have RTPCR negative the report can undertake only certain essential services.
- People who haven’t or can’t receive vaccines due to any drug allergy will be allowed to move out to take only essential services during the lockdown
- Earlier on August 4, the Kerala Government had said that only people who have received at least one dose of COVID-19 vaccine before two weeks or are in possession of negative RT-PCR report more than a month old will be allowed to enter shops and other establishments.
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