With Covid on decline, Kerala govt offices on Saturdays too, dine-in decision on Tuesday

With Covid on decline, Kerala govt offices on Saturdays too, dine-in decision on Tuesday

Punching system back for govt employees; 50% capacity in restaurants likely; museums to start letting in visitors

Published: 14th September 2021 06:40 AM 

By Express News Service

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: With Covid showing signs of further decline, the state government has announced more relaxations. All state government offices will be back to six-day week working pattern from this week. Since the imposition of lockdown in the first week of May, the government offices have remained shut on Saturdays and Sundays. A decision on allowing dining in at restaurants will be taken on Tuesday.

The punching system for government employees to ensure seven-hour work a day has also been brought back. Punching will resume by swiping of ID cards while biometric punching will remain suspended.

The museum and zoo department announced the opening of museums in the state for visitors from Tuesday. A decision on opening zoos will be taken after Tuesday’s Covid review meeting to be chaired by Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan. Morning and evening walkers will be allowed on the museum and zoo campus in Thiruvananthapuram from Tuesday.

The long-pending demand of hoteliers to allow dining in at restaurants may also be permitted soon as it is learnt to have been placed on the agenda of Tuesday’s review meeting. The proposal is to allow 50% occupancy at a time. Kerala Hotel and Restaurant Association leaders had requested the CM to allow dine-in facility and he promised them a positive decision. Proposals to allow functions in auditorium and increasing the number of guests for weddings from 20 to 50 or 100 are also under the consideration of the government.

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WIPR scale for lockdown in panchayats and urban wards is likely to be revised to 10 soon as the cases are declining

Cinema halls shall wait

Though there is huge pressure on the state government to open cinema theatres, a source said they will have to wait