Kerala is set to open all tourist centres barring beaches from Monday, October 12. The tourist spots will be reopened with strict adherence to COVID-19 protocols. According to reports, the state’s beaches will be open to the public from November 1. Tourism in the state is opening up at a time when Kerala is reporting over 9000 cases of coronavirus everyday.
The houseboats, which also depend on tourist traffic, are likely to be open to the public and to tourists by October 15.
Destinations which see less crowd, such as hill stations in Idukki and Wayanad and backwaters, are likely to be opened in the state. With the new decision, tourists from other states are also welcome to visit Kerala, provided they arrive seven days in advance and test negative for coronavirus. Tourists from other states can directly travel if they produce a COVID-19 negative certificate upon arrival in Kerala.
All travellers must also register on the state government’s COVID-19 Jagratha portal before planning their visit. If at any point in the trip, an individual experiences symptoms, he or she will be quarantined and will be discharged only once they test negative for the virus.
Extra care has been taken in order to avoid a further surge in cases in Kerala, which is already witnessing an unprecedented increase in coronavirus cases.
Kerala reported 9,347 new cases of the virus on Sunday, out of 61,629 samples tested in the last 24 hours. The state has one of the highest test positivity rates or TPR in the country currently, with the current TPR standing at 15%. The TPR is the number of positive cases out of total samples tested.
By Sunday (October 11), the state recorded a total of 1000 deaths due to coronavirus, eight and a half months after its first case was reported. Twenty five more people died after testing positive for the coronavirus on Sunday. A significant number of health workers too, have been testing positive in the state.