Chief Secy's order on Kerala Covid restrictions contradicts minister's statement in Assembly: Opposition leader

Kerala Leader of Opposition VD Satheesan on Thursday said that the revised COVID-lockdown guidelines order issued by the chief secretary contradicted the policy statement read out by the Health Minister Veena George in the Assembly on August 4.

Raising the issue in the Assembly today, the opposition leader alleged that if the new order is put in place then "to buy even two kilos of rice, one has to go to the shop with an RT-PCR certificate."

Satheesan alleged that the resolution read out by the health minister had not made a vaccination certificate or RTPCR negative certificate or a COVID-recovered certificate mandatory to enter shops. "On the one hand, the government has decided to open shops, while by making such restriction in effect nobody will be able to even open shops," he alleged.

The Opposition leader said that the resolution read out by the Health Minister in the assembly had said it would be advisable if shops were visited only by people who were in possession of any of these certificates. However, the Chief Secretary's order has made these certificates mandatory, not just to enter shops but also banks, factories, industrial establishments and open tourist spaces.

"In the order issued by the Chief Secretary, everything that the minister advised that people should try to follow has been made mandatory. The Chief Secretary's order is against the government's decision," he alleged.

As per the Kerala government's order, only those who have taken at least one dose of Covid-19 vaccine before two weeks, or who are in possession of an RT-PCR negative certificate taken 72 hours before, or who are in possession of COVID-19 positive results more than a month old will be allowed inside (workers/visitors) the shops, markets, banks, public and private offices, financial institutions, factories, industrial establishments, open tourist spaces and other establishments.

Satheesan said if the order is strictly implemented then people can't even go out for work.

"As the instructions should be strictly implemented, the police will start slapping fine. The government has turned Kerala into a 'fine city' by instructing police to collect Rs 8-10 crore as penalty," Satheesan alleged.

( With inputs from ANI )

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