Thiruvananthapuram: The regulations established to prevent the spread of COVID-19 were reissued on January 13 by Kerala's Health and Family Welfare Department. The Kerala Epidemics Disease Coronavirus Disease (COVID-19) Regulations, 2023, according to a government announcement, would go into effect right away and be in force for one month. According to the guidelines of the Kerala Epidemics Act 2021, the order that was issued on the January notification was made public. Since the first Covid-19 outbreak, the government has been regularly updating the laws.
All persons and organisations are required to abide by the following rules under these regulations:
1) Wear face shields or masks: Everyone should wear face shields or masks that cover their mouths and noses when they are in public locations, workplaces, places that are open to the public, social gatherings, and on all types of vehicles.
2) Use of sanitiser/soap: Business owners, managers of theatres, and event planners should offer water and sanitiser/soap to clients and participants.
3) Physical distance: In public places and at events, everyone should keep a physical distance.
Even though they weren't mandatory, the rules had been in place since the first wave. The state's populace had largely quit wearing masks. After the first wave's initial calm, when the virus started to spread to thousands of people, the state saw an increase in cases. According to a report in the Times of India, Kerala accounted for 38% of the new cases in India in December of last year, when a new variety of Omicron was thought to have emerged. Kerala has the most active instances of any state, according to the information provided by the Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, with 1,303 cases. Only 146 and 139 cases, respectively, have been reported in Karnataka and Maharashtra, the states with the second and third highest numbers.