The government of Kerala gradually eased lockdown restrictions in the state, following a decline in daily reported COVID cases. Since April 27, 2021, all the bar hotels, wine parlors, and retail outlets operated by the Kerala State Beverages Corporation (BevCo) and Consumerfed had remained shut following a surge in Covid cases in the state. After the beverage shops resumed functioning, a heavy crowd was witnessed in almost all parts of the state. While in some places, the people followed social distancing and adhered to the COVID-19 protocols, here's a video of a beverage outlet in the Palakkad district that was heavily flooded by people.

The video shot by a passerby shows us a long queue of people not adhering to COVID norms and waiting for their turn. We can also see more people trying to park their vehicles on the roadside and find a place for themselves in the queue. Though Police officials are present at the location, they looked helpless to control the crowd. The video has been widely circulated on social media.

Director Priyadarshan too shared the video saying that the people are being extremely careless after the Kerala government lifted the COVID-19 restrictions in the state. "There is no point in simply blaming Mr. Pinarayi Vijayan, Modiji, or Vaccine. Here it is. Are we welcoming Kovid Third Wave?" - Priyadarshan captioned the video.

The Kerala government had eased the curbs while announcing the continuation of complete lockdown on weekends. Shops selling essential items have been allowed to operate daily from 7 AM to 7 PM and public transport will be permitted to partially operate

No job for almost 45 days, they need free rice, dhal & vaccine...But they have enough money to buy liquor! Video from Palakkad. Even Corona got ashamed. #SaveKerala pic.twitter.com/u7iFxRoIYY

— Binu Padmam (@bnutwt) June 19, 2021