Lockdown should be lifted in a phased manner, says Ker
Briefing reporters on details of the discussions withPrime Minister Narendra Modi during the video conference withchief ministers, Vijayan said he had also sought the centre'sintervention to operate special flights to to bring backKeralites stranded due to the lockdown in various countrieswhere they had gone on a visiting visas.
Vijayan also wanted all Indian embassies to issuemedical bulletins to allay the fears of expats.
"We presented our demands before the centre. We have saidwe will accept all restrictions to be imposed by the centreafter April 14.
The Prime Minister also said that we need to be morecareful in the coming weeks", Vijayan said.
The state had suggested that it was not ready to go backto the pre-lockdown situation.
"We need to be careful and the lockdown should bewithdrawn in a phased manner after evaluating the situationclosely", he said.
The Chief Minister said the state had given certainsuggestions with regard to the lockdown.
"The official decision of the centre is yet to beannounced. The state will take a decision accordingly.
In our opinion, some districts need the restrictionbut some do not. So let's wait for the centre's decision onthe lockdown in the country and we will act accordingly." The Chief Minister said there was a possibility ofcommunity spread if uncontrolled public travel is allowed inKerala, which has a high population density.
Kerala, he said, also suggested that restrictions in theseven hotspots -- Kasaragod, Kannur, Kozhikode, Malappuram,Thrissur, Ernakulam and Thiruvananthapuram, which accounts formost of the cases from the state-- continue till Apr 30.
The states must be given authority to allow certainactivities at other places, while strictly practicing socialdistancing, he said. Vijayan said the state also requested the Prime Minister toarrange for a non-stop train from Kerala for the 3.85 lakhmigrant workers who wanted to leave for their states once thelockdown was lifted.
The state also requested a separate package for theunorganised sector fot three months. RRT UD APRRAVINDRANATH APRRAVINDRANATH