A complete shutdown will be followed in the areasmarked as COVID-19 hotspots and inter-state, inter-districttravel will not be allowed,Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayantold reporters here.
From April 20 odd-even number scheme for vehicleswould be followed in the state, he said
However, there will be no public transport tillMay 3 and malls, cinema houses and religious places wouldcontinue to remain shut, he added.
Seven fresh coronavirus cases were reported onThursday, while 27 people were cured taking the total numberof recovered patients in the state to 245.
Kasaragod in the state reported the highest numberof cured cases on Thursday---24 and one case each were curedfrom Ernakulam, Malappuram and Kannur districts, Vijayan saidafter the daily evaluation meet on COVID-19.
"As of now, the state has 147 active cases and atleast 88,855 are under observation.Five of those affected hadcome from abroad, while two have got it through contact withinfected people.
Till now, 17,400 samples have been sent for testing,"Vijayan said.
The state has reported 394 coronavirus cases.
Whilepointingthat the government had somereservations on centre's classification of hotspots, he saidKerala would seek permission to consider the four northerndistricts of Kasaragod, Kannur, Kozhikode and Malappuram,which account for 123 cases, as one hotspot region.
"Complete lockdown needs to be implemented till May 3 inthese four districts considering the number of positive caseswhen compared to the rest of the state," Vijayan said.
Kasaragod has the highest number of 57 cases followedby neighbouring Kannur with 47 cases.
Kozhikode and Malappuram has 11 and eight casesrespectively.
The second region would comprise Kollam,Pathanamthitta and Ernakulam with five, six and three casesrespectively.
Complete lockdown will continue in these districtstill April 24 and restrictions will be relaxed after takingstock of the situation, Vijayan said.
Alappuzha, Thiruvananthapuram, Palakkad,Thrissur, Wayanad districts have been included in the thirdregion and certain relaxations will be allowed after April 20so that at least normal life can be resumed in a partialmanner, Vijayan said.
Partial relaxation does not include publicgathering or opening of malls, cinema theatres or places ofworship.
Certain shops and hotels will function till 7 PM,Vijayan added.
The two districts of Kottayam andIdukki, considered as regionfour, do not have a singlepositive case reported for last 14 days but their borderswill remain closed and there will be certain relaxations forpartial resumption of normal life, he said.
"These relaxations does not mean that people canresume their normal way of life.Easing of lockdown protocolwill be in accordance with strict health precautions.
People should use masks and the establishments shouldprovide sanitisers and hand wash facilities," the chiefminister said.
He also said that industrial sector can functionwith 50 per cent of staff and should implement "shifts" forthe staff.
Vijayan added that the companies must eitherprovide accommodation for the staff or transportationfacilities.
The state government has also decided to restartthe construction sector with stringent conditions includinghealth precautions including social distancing.
"Those offices and establishments which willreopen after the lockdown period requires to be disinfectedbefore functioning and the locality must also be cleaned.
The local self government institutions can make useof the guest workers who are presently jobless for the HarithaKarma Sena functions," Vijayan said.
"From April 20, the state government proposes toimplement the odd-even number scheme for vehicles to ply inthe state.
But there will some relaxation in the case ofwomen-driven vehicles," Vijayan said.
He also asked those who recovered from COVID-19,to remain quarantined at home for 14 days.
Meanwhile, the Kerala Police on Thursdayregistered 2,941 cases, arresting 2,863 people and 2,048vehicles for violating lockdown norms. RRT UD BNWELCOME BNWELCOME