The second Pinarayi Vijayan government in Kerala will have a 21-member cabinet. (File)
The newly-elected CPI(M)-led Left Democratic Front government in Kerala will be sworn-in on Thursday at the Central Stadium in Thiruvananthapuram, with number of invitees restricted to 500, according to Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan.
The ceremony is taking place amid a lockdown in the state which is in force till May 23 and four districts, including Thiruvananthapuram, under a stricter "triple lockdown" due to rising number of coronavirus cases.
"Last time the swearing-in ceremony was witnessed by 40,000 people. But this time, because of the COVID-19, the invitees have been restricted to 500, including 140 MLAs, 20 MPs, with COVID-19 protocols in place," the chief minister said.
The Kerala chapter of the Indian Medical Association had recently appealed to the state government to hold an online or virtual swearing-in ceremony since Kerala is battling a severe COVID-19 second wave.
The state has seen a decline in daily Covid cases but the daily testing has also seen a decline. The silver line, however, is a marginal dip in the test positivity rate over the last few days, from a 28.61 per cent on May 13 to 24.74 per cent today.
Kerala reported 21,402 new COVID-19 cases today, taking the caseload to 21,39,314, while a record 99,651 people were cured in the last 24 hours. The dip in the new cases was detected through 86,505 tests carried out in the last 24 hours. With 87 more people dying due to the disease today, the death count has reached 6,515.
In Thiruvananthapuram, where the ceremony will be held, strict restrictions are in place till May 23 and essential services like banks, grocery and vegetables shops are allowed to remain open only on alternate days.
The government's order for the ceremony states: "The Central Stadium has a seating capacity of 1,000 (people) observing the Covid protocols. However, the number of participants shall be limited to 500." The order also emphasised on allowing entry based on Covid tests and passes while adding that no refreshments will be served at the venue.
"The invitees are permitted to travel to attend the function with the authorisation of the invitation card and car pass issued from GAD (official department)," the order said.
Under a triple lockdown, several entry and exit points to Thiruvananthapuram district have been closed this week to ensure a strict compliance to lockdown restrictions
The second Pinarayi Vijayan government in Kerala, to be sworn-in on May 20, will have a 21-member cabinet.
After the details of the ceremony were released, many people on social media criticised the government for holding such a big event amid a massive outbreak of coronavirus.
Health economist Rijo M John wrote on Twitter: "Kerala had an opportunity to conduct a virtual swearing-in ceremony as IMA had advised and set a good example. While the state is under lockdown, conducting a function with 500 people in one place is not in the right spirit! This also involves each MLAs travelling to participate."
Author Anita Nair said: "When the Government of Kerala has been such a glowing example on how to manage a pandemic, why would they jeopardize all the good work with one off-key event even if it's the swearing in? No need to prove a point. The historic win was validation enough."