Kerala’s next stage of SARS-CoV-2 containment strategy and plans for economic revival will pivot on the outcome of the video conference by Prime Minister Narendra Modi with Chief Ministers on Monday.
The third phase of the lockdown will end on May 17. The meeting is likely to take a call on restoring limited public transport within low-risk zones, opening up the retail sector with adequate social distancing safeguards and making COVID-19 testing more widespread.
Air, rail travel
Officials said inter-State travel and restoration of domestic flights and rail travel might not be immediate.
The Centre and States appear inclined to impose a less restrictive partial lockdown, interspersed with mandatory holidays and strict 24-hour clampdowns on mobility, in the fourth phase.
The conference is also likely to deliberate measures to avoid industrial accidents like Vizag gas leak that claimed many lives in Andhra Pradesh.
The epidemic has not ebbed, and an estimated 130 districts remained in the red zone category. Free inter-State movement of people could pose a risk to public health.
As a precursor of the crucial meeting, Chief Secretary Tom Jose conferred with the Union Cabinet Secretary Rajiv Gauba on Sunday by video link.
Officials said Kerala had laid the groundwork for the conclave in advance. Mr. Jose had reportedly conveyed to the Centre the State’s plan to restart the economy without allowing its containment measures to backslide.
Package sought
Kerala had also sought a package to help it overcome the drag and inertia precipitated by the lockdown in critical sectors such as retail, travel and tourism, industrial production and construction.
It had sought the Centre’s permission to issue sovereign bonds to raise money from the open market, a two per cent increase in its borrowing limit, GST compensation and an extension of the RBI moratorium on the repayment of loans.
Kerala had told the Centre that non-resident Keralites’ remittances had plummeted and the State anticipated an influx of blue-collar workers displaced by the economic downturn in the Gulf countries. It has requested banks to extend low-interest relief loans to small businesses and Gulf returnees.
The State had also sought 6,42,000 tonnes of food grains to keep storage levels at optimum level and cargo trains to ferry harvest, including fruits and vegetables, from production centres to markets in Kerala.