Thiruvananthapuram: Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan responded sternly to the traders' threat that they would open shops on all days from Thursday (July 15) if the government refuses to ease lockdown restrictions.
"I have only one thing to say about this. We can understand their feelings, and we have no issues standing by them. But if they have other intentions, we will take them on in a manner that is naturally required in such situations. They should be aware of this while playing their game," he told reporters at a press conference in New Delhi on Tuesday, a clear reference to the use of force against lockdown violators.
The most influential association of traders, Kerala Vyapari Vyavasaya Ekopana Samithi, had on July 12 said that the festival season (Eid Al Fadha and Onam) was around the corner and the restrictions would severely affect their businesses. Traders who were part of a protest at SM Street in Kozhikode on July 12 said that many traders would have to shut shop if they were deprived of their usual festival business. As many as 18 traders who had participated in the protest were arrested.
As it stands, shops, except those selling essential goods, can open only thrice a week. The government announced marginal relaxations on Tuesday, like allowing shops to function an hour more, but has still not allowed shops to open on all days.
The Indian Medical Association, too, had called the Kerala Government's extended lockdown restrictions as "unscientific". In a statement, the doctors' body said that the 'test positivity rate'-based restrictions were only causing more crowds.
"When shops and other institutions like banks are open only on certain days, more than the usual number of people are found crowding in front of them. When big crowds form, COVID-19 protocols are thrown to the winds, triggering virus spread," the statement said.
The IMA also questioned the time restrictions. Till July 12, shops are allowed to open only till 7pm "In fact, the IMA release said that shops should be kept open for a longer period to avoid crowds.
The Chief Minister, however, brushed aside the IMA advice. "This is not the advice that we have got. Many experts have different opinions. Our experts have told us something else," the Chief Minister said. Fact is, many members of the government's COVID-19 Expert Panel had been asking the government to dump the TPR-based strategy and rely on more accurate barometers like hospitalisations and severity of cases.
Also, he said the TPR-based strategy was working. "We have found that many local bodies in the D category (where the TPR is above 15 percent) were falling out of the category when the controls were sustained for some time," he said.
The counter argument was that controls in one area were forcing people to swarm the shops and institutions in nearby areas with lesser curbs and this, in turn, was triggering virus spread in less affected areas. This was also why, it is argued, the number of panchayats in the D category had continued to increase.
The Chief Minister, however, had another logic for TPR spiking in hitherto non-affected areas. "People in these areas had misused their freedom, causing another spread," he added.