33 C Kerala / The Economic Times
Kerala reports 182 Covid-19 cases in May. Kottayam sees the highest number. Health Minister Veena George advises vigilance due to rising cases in Southeast Asia. Omicron JN.1 variants are spreading. People with symptoms should wear masks. Elderly and pregnant women are advised to mask up in public. Hospitals mandate masks. Covid tests are ordered for symptomatic patients.
The Union government informed the Kerala High Court that loans for those affected by the July 2022 landslides in Wayanad would not be waived but would be rescheduled or restructured following the RBIs guidelines on natural calamities. The Finance Ministry stated that a special meeting of the State Level Bankers' Committee (SLBC) in August 2022 decided on this relief, including a one-year moratorium and fresh loans.
The Enforcement Directorate conducted searches at the offices of Kerala-based businessman Gokulam Gopalan and others for an alleged foreign exchange violation case. The searches took place in Chennai and Kochi under FEMA provisions. This has landed L2: Empuraan producer Gopalan in the spotlight. Mohanlal, associated with the movie, promised to remove controversial parts.
The Kerala High Court has temporarily halted proceedings against Baba Ramdev, Acharya Balakrishna, and Divya Pharmacy related to a misleading advertisement case. The case was initiated by a Drugs Inspector's complaint, leading to charges under the Drug and Magic Remedies (Objectionable Advertisement) Act 1954.