COVID guidelines have been revised, and the health minister now requires vaccination or RTPCR certificates to enter stores

The Opposition staged a walkout in the Assembly on Thursday in protest of the Chief Secretary’s executive order on revised COVID restrictions, which the Opposition said contradicted and added to the policy statement read out by health minister Veena George in the Assembly on August 4.

Opposition Leader V D Satheesan raised in the Assembly the content conflict between the Assembly resolution and the subsequent government order. He claimed that the resolution read out by the health minister did not make a vaccination certificate, RTPCR negative certificate, or COVID-recovered certificate required to enter stores.

“The resolution simply stated that it would be preferable if shops were only visited by people who possessed any of these certificates. However, the Chief Secretary’s order has made these certificates mandatory not only for entering shops, but also for entering banks, factories, industrial establishments, and open tourist spaces “According to Satheesan. “Is it practical to carry certificates everywhere one goes?” he inquired.

Furthermore, according to Satheesan, only 42.14 percent of the population had received a single dose of vaccination.

Though the minister’s resolution called for a return to normalcy, Satheesan said the Chief Secretary’s order intends to keep people under lockdown for an extended period of time. He stated that the order allows people to leave their homes only for very specific reasons such as vaccination, medical emergencies, catching a train or plane, and marriage.

“If this is the case, then even those who go to offices will be fined,” Satheesan explained.

He claimed that the Kerala police were on a “fine spree.” “The most recent order is vulnerable to abuse. Already, the cops are looking for the flimsiest excuse to levy a hefty fine. Kerala has already undergone a Fine Raj transformation “According to Satheesan.

Despite this, health minister Veena George remained unmoved. She stated that the statement she read in the Assembly outlined the government’s broad policy. “The order (that followed) lays out practical measures to implement the policy,” she explained. “The order does not violate the essence of the Assembly resolution,” she said.

The opposition walked out of the Assembly in protest.