Kerala calls off night curfew

Kochi: Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan said the State has made recovery from the worst-case scenario. Speaking to reporters at Thiruvananthapuram on Tuesday evening, Vijayan said the changes witnessed in the Test Positivity Rate during the period August 31 to September 7 were encouraging.

Though 25,772 new people were diagnosed with Covid-19 in Kerala during the last 24 hours and 189 patients succumbed to the pandemic.

“The average TPR has come down to a safe level and we have decided to do away with the night curfew in operation in the State and also the lock down on Sundays. The higher education institutions would be reopened on October 4 and classes for final year students of undergraduate and post graduate courses will begin  from that day,” said Vijayan.

He said the Covid-19 situation  was under control in the State. “Though we were expecting the worst, it did not happen and we have made a recovery. The Nipah virus



attack which was threatening the State too has fizzed out thanks to the initiative by health minister Veena George who was guided by ministers Mohammed Riyaz (son-in-law of the chief minister), A K Saseendran and Ahmed Devarcoil,” said Vijayan.

He said all those who had come in contact with the 12-year-old boy who succumbed to Nipah the other day in Kozhikode tested negative indicating that the State has succeeded in coming out of the worst fears. 

“We have set up a laboratory at Kozhikode Medical College to test Nipah samples. Kerala has also ensured that more than 60 per cent of the population got vaccinated against Covid-19 and we are far ahead of the national average,” said Vijayan.

Residential schools and institutes where minimum age of the students is 18 would soon be opened. The modalities were being worked out by the department of higher education, said the chief minister.