Kerala to restrict as covid is at peak.
Onam festival in Kerala will conclude with Thiruvonam on August 21. This is the biggest festival in the state that spans religious boundaries. Onam also marks the beginning of the festive season across India – it continues till the Christmas/New Year season. Festive demand has always been important for the economy, but it will be very crucial for pandemic-affected markets this year.
This year’s Onam festivities could be a make-or-break moment for the southern state, which after being hailed as a model in the fight against the pandemic, is dealing with what seems to be an uncontrollable surge in Covid-19 cases. It was around Onam last year that Covid-19 cases began rising in Kerala, putting an end to the state’s claims of successfully containing the pandemic. If there is a similar spike in cases this year too, the situation, at least in terms of the medical infrastructure’s ability to cope, may spiral out of control.
Onam was when Covid-19 infections started rising in Kerala last year
Although India imposed a 68-day long nation-wide lockdown on March 25, 2020, to prevent the spread of the Covid-19 virus, the pandemic’s trajectory was very different in Kerala and rest of India in the initial phase.
A festive boost to mobility may have played a role in the 2020 surge and it appears to be happening again. Last year, the state government relaxed restrictions before Onam – for instance, allowing people to dine-in in restaurants.
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