The Malappuram district administration has suspended likely Kerala’s first-ever horse racing event due to non-compliance with Covid-19 protocols. According to the district administration, the races were stopped due to over-crowding of people neglecting pandemic.
According to reports, the district administration will be conducting the remaining matches on another day adhering strictly to Covid-19 protocols. For this year, only Indian horses will be taking part and, the competition will continue in the coming years as well. The event was organised by Malappuram District Horse Riders at MSP Grounds, Koottilangadi.
On Sunday, Malappuram police said that they would take strict action against those violating social distancing norms imposed to tackle the rising Covid-19 cases in the State. The Kerala Police Department issued a statement stating that priority will be given to tackle over-crowding and ensure that social distance is maintained.
Meanwhile, according to an official press release, Kerala reported 5,266 fresh cases on Sunday and the test positivity rate reached 10.94%. In the last 24 hours, 48,118 samples were tested and one UK returnee tested Covid positive.
Also, on Sunday, Union Minister for Information and Broadcasting Prakash Javadekar announced that the cinema theatres in the country will operate with full occupancy from February 1 adhering strictly to Covid-19 protocols. According to the latest SOPs issued by the Ministry, social distancing must be followed, face masks are mandatory and sanitisation of cinema halls after every screening are the major highlights. The minister further added that digital ticket bookings are encouraged and, continuous show timings should be avoided to control the spike in the number of cases.
According to the new guidelines, no films will be allowed to screen in containment zones, states and union territories.
