Riders in place, Kerala theatres, colleges to reopen this month

The decision was taken at a Covid-19 review meeting in view of decline in daily cases reported and considering that 92.6 per cent of the targeted population in the state has got at least one dose of the vaccine against coronavirus.

A slew of bodies of theatre owners, distributors, exhibitors and producers have been petitioning the government to reopen cinema halls, which were forced to shut in April when Covid-19 cases began to surge sharply as part of the second wave of the pandemic. (Express file)

The Kerala government on Saturday decided to open colleges and training centres for all classes from October 18, with a rider that teachers, staff and students should have taken both vaccine doses, and reopen theatres and indoor auditoriums with 50-per cent seating capacity from October 25.

The decision was taken at a Covid-19 review meeting in view of decline in daily cases reported and considering that 92.6 per cent of the targeted population in the state has got at least one dose of the vaccine against coronavirus.

Hotels, tourism centres and liquor bars were allowed to reopen last week.

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After Saturday’s meeting, Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan said that 50 people will now be allowed to attend weddings and cremations. “Covid-19 negative certificate will not be made mandatory for entering any institution in Kerala,” he said.

The CM said the government will issue guidelines for reopening of schools, scheduled for November 1, as the sero surveillance survey among children is over.

According to a government report on vaccination, 97 per cent people above the age of 45 have taken one jab, and 60 per cent of them have got both doses. Of 13,217 new cases reported on Saturday, 3,810 had taken the first dose and 3,570 had taken both doses of the vaccine.

Although daily Covid-19 deaths still remain high in Kerala, out of 1.61 lakh patients under treatment in the last one week, only 2 per cent required oxygen beds and ICU facilities, the government has stated. The new cases have declined by 24 per cent in the last one week compared to the previous corresponding period.

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