Thiruvananthapuram: In light of the surge in the number of COVID-19 cases in Kerala, an assembly of more than five persons will be prohibited from gathering in public places from October 3, an order issued by the state government stated on Thursday.
For the enforcement of social distancing, provisions of Section 144 of the CrPC will be enforced across the state, the order issued by Chief Secretary Vishwas Mehta said.
Strict restrictions shall be imposed in containment zones and areas where the spread of the disease is apprehended. Existing relaxations for categories like weddings, funerals, etc will however, continue to be in place.
According to the order, district collectors will be given the right to impose the relevant provisions of section 144 in their respective districts after a due assessment of the COVID situation in their areas.
The prohibitory order will come into effect from 9 am on October 3 and continue till 12am on October 31.
No re-opening of schools for now
Schools in the state will not re-open even after October 15.
The education department authorities from various districts have informed the government that it is not possible to re-open the schools now as the COVID-19 infection is spreading at an alarming rate. Most of the schools are functioning as first-line treatment centres.
As per the Union government's 'Unlock 5.0'guidelines, the states can take a call on the re-opening of schools after October 15.
However, the number of COVID-19 patients would see a further surge by then, according to the information received by the government.
Earlier, the education director had submitted a recommendation that students in class X and XII can be allowed to go to schools for clearing any doubts, while adhering to the COVID-19 norms. However, a final decision will be taken only after taking inputs from the health department.
