Thiruvananthapuram: The Kerala government on Monday decided to impose night curfew from 9 pm to 6 am from April 20 in view of the sharp increase in COVID-19 cases in the state.
The decision in this regard was taken at a high-level meeting chaired by chief secretary Dr. V. P. Joy this evening.
Kerala had logged 18,257 cases on Sunday, pushing the infection load to 12.39 lakh. The government has also directed all domestic travellers coming to the state to undergo RT-PCR tests.
According to Matrubhumi, there will be no restriction on the movement of public transport. However, strict restrictions will be imposed in malls, and theatres can remain open till 7 pm only.
After rejecting demands to call off the Thrissur Pooram festival initially, the state government has decided to limit the festival to rituals only, and the public will not be allowed to enter the venue. Only organisers would be allowed to take part in the festival. Thiruvambady and Paramekkavu Devaswoms also relaxed their previous stand that Thrissur Pooram should be held with celebrations and agreed to limit the festival to rituals.
As the test positivity rate in Thrissur rose to 21.97% and the daily COVID-19 cases have now crossed 1,000, the state government is compelled to put a bar on public gathering, the Matrubhumi has reported.