Eighty four persons tested positive for coronavirus in Kerala on Wednesday taking the number of active cases in the state to 526. Three were cured of the disease.
Onmanorama compiles a list of essential and other services available in the state to see you through the lockdown.
Railway increases advance reservation period to 120 days
Railways increases advance reservation period for all special trains from present 30 days to 120 days. Bookings of parcel and luggage to be permitted in all special trains - 15 pairs operating since May 12 and 100 pairs to run from June 1.
The above changes shall be implemented with effect from 08:00 hrs of train booking date of 31st May 2020 onwards.
Cleanliness drive on lockdown Sunday
In view of the upcoming monsoon and possibility of diseases looming large, the Kerala government has decided to use Sundays for cleaning places across the state. The public have been asked to keep their residence and surroundings clean. Complete lockdown is usually observed in Kerala on Sundays.
Liquor store resume operation
The Kerala government has given the nod to restart booze sales through 1168 outlets (877 selling hard liquor and 291 selling wine and beer) in the state from May 28, which was stopped after the first phase of Coronavirus lockdown began in March. The outlets, of Beverages Corporation and private bar hotels, will be open from 9 am to 5 pm. There will be no home delivery.
The app will be live for booking from 6 am to 10 pm. For more details on how to use the BevQ app, click here.
Norka Express Recruitment for nurses from June 1
Keralite nurses aged 22 to 35 may apply for jobs at a private hospital in Saudi Arabia, through the email-id norkaksa19@gmail.com. For more details, individuals may contact 00919061106777, toll free number 18004253939 (from India) , 00918802012345 ( missed call service) .
Prior intimation and registration must before sending trains
Kerala Chief Minister, Shri Pinarayi Vijayan has informed the Prime Minister, Shri Narendra Modi that railways should send trains to the State only after prior intimation and the travelling passengers should have mandatorily registered on the Covid Jagratha portal.
Surprise checks at Home Quarantines
Kerala Police will conduct surprise checks to find violators of home quarantine and vehicles with more passengers, DGP Lokanath Behera said on Tuesday. Violators of home quarantine will be moved to the state facility.
BPCL launches cooking gas booking via WhatsApp
Bharat Petroleum Corp Ltd (BPCL) on Tuesday announced a new customer-friendly initiative with the launch of cooking gas booking through Whatsapp across the country.
WhatsApp booking can be done on BPCL Smartline number - 1800224344 - from the customer's mobile number registered with the company.
After booking through Whatsapp, a customer will get a confirmation message apart from a link to make an online payment for the refill through any channel - debit or credit cards, UPI, and other payment apps like Amazon.
SSLC, Plus Two examinations resume
The SSLC, Plus One and Plus Two examination which were postponed due to the nationwide COVID-19 lockdown, resumed on May 26. For more details including the time-table of examinations, click here.
BPL Antyodaya card owners to get Rs 1,000 from Tuesday
BPL Antyodaya families who haven't received any financial benefits from the government including welfare pension, will be entitled to receive Rs 1000 from Tuesday. The amount will be distributed by the Cooperative banks to the beneficiaries till June 6.
The funds have been allocated from the Chief Minister's Disaster Relief Fund to 14,78,236 families.
KSRTC services for govt employees
The KSRTC will be arranging transportation for government employees wishing to commute to Thiruvananthapuram from Kollam and Kottarakara units. The services will commence from May 27.
Guidelines for those coming via domestic flights
Kerala government has issued a list of guidelines to ensure that COVID protocols are strictly followed in wake of the Ministry of Civil Aviation announcing that domestic flights will resume operation throughout the country from May 25. To read more, click here.
KSRTC services resume
KSRTC began operations on Wednesday. Two thousand buses are ready to ply. However, only half the number of passengers (27) will be allowed to board in order to ensure the strict adherence of social distancing norms.
Masks have been made mandatory. There will be more services during morning and evening hours. Preparations too have begun to see all KSRTC operational very soon. Read more, click here.
No travel pass for inter-districts
Kerala government has now announced few relaxations where inter-district travel is allowed in private vehicles or taxis from 7am to 7pm without any tarvel pass. But the passengers need to carry their identity cards. Only two people, besides the driver, will be allowed in the vehicle and if it is a family, the allowed number is three. Read what is allowed and what is not
Marriages, funeral and worship
The main wedding function can be held with a maximum of 50 persons and attendant functions should not have more than 20. Funerals can be held with not more than 20 people. Public gatherings in places of worship stands prohibited and those responsible for carrying out rituals and chores are allowed to travel.
Paid quarantine facility at hotels
People arriving in Kerala from abroad and from other states within the country can now avail paid quarantine facilities at 169 hotels identified by the Kerala government. The tariff details of hotels and other instructions for availing the facility are published on the NORKA roots website. To view the tariff details click here
Limited waiting list in special trains
Indian Railways started issuing limited waiting list tickets for different classes for special trains. There shall be no RAC in these special trains.
Other rules concerning waiting list shall be applicable. The refund rules i.e. cancellation up to 24 hours with refund of 50 per cent of fare and NIL refund within 24 hours of train departure shall be discontinued and extant refund rules i.e. Railways Cancellation and Refund rule 2015 shall be made applicable.
The above changes shall be made applicable for the trains starting on 22nd May, 2020, bookings for which commenced on 15th May, 2020.
Inter-state passes
Inter-state travel requires permission from the state of origin and destination. Passes from different states may be procured from the following websites:
Assam: https://eservices.assam.gov.in/directApply.do?serviceId=1533
Chattisgarh: https://raipur.gov.in/cg-covid-19-epass
Delhi: https://epass.jantasamvad.org/epass/relief/english
Haryana: https://edisha.gov.in/eForms/MigrantService
Himachal Pradesh: http://covid19epass.hp.gov.in
Karnataka: https://sevasindhu.karnataka.gov.in/Sevasindhu/English
Madhya Pradesh: https://mapit.gov.in/covid-19
Maharashtra: https://covid19.mhpolice.in
Odisha: http://covid19regd.odisha.gov.in
Punjab: http://covidhelp.punjab.gov.in
Rajasthan: http://emitraapp.rajasthan.gov.in
Tamil Nadu: http://rtos.nonresidenttamil.org
Uttar Pradesh: http://164.100.68.164/upepass2
Telangana: https://epass-svc.app.koopid.ai/epassportal/widgets/dashboard.html
Kerala: https://covid19jagratha.kerala.nic.in/home/addDomestic
Goa: www.goaonline.gov.in
Andhra Pradesh: www.spandana.ap.gov.in
Contact war room for information on inter-state travel
The public may contact the war room at the Kerala secretariat for more information on inter-state travel of migrant workers, return of Keralites from other states and other COVID-19 related information. The round-the-clock war room may be reached on the numbers: 0471 2781100, 2781101. Whatsapp Number: 8281312912.
Expired driving license and permits
All driving licenses, permits and registration papers of vehicles and other documents concerning the Motor Vehicles Rules that expired after February 1 will now be treated as valid until June 30.
Online appointments must for visits to Regional Passport Office
For all enquiries at the Regional Passport Office in Kochi, appointments must be booked in advance. Appointments can be booked through the portal: www.passportindia.gov.in.
Online transfer of pension money
Pensioners in Kerala can now transfer funds from PTSB accounts online to any commercialised bank. This service is available on the website https://tsbonline.kerala.gov.in/ by clicking the 'New User Registration' link. For a successful transaction you will need the 15-digit PTSB account number and the mobile number linked with the account. The service will be available only during working hours.
Notify govt about fake news
The public may notify the Information & Public Relations Department's Anti Fake News Division about fake news by texting them on the Whatsapp number (9496003234) or through the twitter account @afdkerala. The Anti Fake News Division verifies and publishes the fake news on its Facebook page on a regular basis.
CBSE releases date sheet for rescheduled class 10, 12 exams
The Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) released the date sheet for the rescheduled board examinations of class 10th (for North-East Delhi only) and class 12th board examinations for the remaining papers.
Another chance to clear exams
CBSE students of classes 9 and 11, who failed in the exams this year, will get a one-time opportunity to appear in school-based tests and improve their performance in view of the COVID-19 situation. Read more
ICSE, ISE exams in the first two weeks of July
The ICSE (Class 10) and ISC (Class 12) examinations will be held in the first two weeks of July, Council for the Indian School Certification Examination (CISCE) announced on Friday.
The Class 10 examinations will be held from July 2 to 12, while the Class 12 examinations are scheduled from July 1 to 14.
All examinations will begin at 11am. For more details, click here.
