Thiruvananthapuram: With the COVID situation improving in Kerala, the government has decided to do away with Sunday lockdowns and also resume the normal functioning of educational institutions.
A COVID review meeting on Tuesday decided to lift the restrictions that were put in place on Sunday to control the surge of coronavirus cases.
It also decided to extend the duration of classes in schools and colleges till evening from February 28.
Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan has instructed the education department to make preparations to resume the normal functioning of institutions with full attendance.
Kerala has been witnessing more recoveries than fresh cases in the last five days with the active case tally dropping by over 67,000 since February 1.
At present, offline classes are held for students in grades 10-12 while classes in grades 1-9 are set to begin next week.
Relaxations for festivals
The government is also planning to permit more persons to attend religious festivals/gatherings notably Aluva Sivaratri, Maramon Convention and Attukal Pongala.
A government press release said that relaxations will be given adhering to the COVID protocol.
"February is festival season in north Malabar. Permission will be granted for the participation of more persons in those festivals," the government release stated.
