State Independence Day function cut short to 10 minutes

Thiruvananthapuram: With Covid-19 cases rising, the state government on Friday decided to limit the main Independence Day function here for just 10 minutes.

Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan will arrive at the Central Stadium on Saturday at 9 a.m. He will limit his I-Day speech for only three minutes. The customary parade will also not take place.

Earlier, it was decided to limit the function to 30 minutes. But the new decision came after the state capital district, where the main I-Day parade is to be held, became the now worst affected Covid district in the state.

As on date 13,839 people are Covid-19 positive, while 25,692 people have now been cured of the disease.

Besides, there are 1,53,061 people under observation in various places, including 12,683 people in various hospitals. The state presently has 544 hotspots.