Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan has urged people to avoid using flowers from other Indian states for Onam celebrations this year.
Onam is the harvest festival of Kerala, and is celebrated with much fervour. Special floral carpets called pookalams form an integral part of the celebrations. Pookalam competitions are held across the state, with huge cash rewards announced for the best designs. The festival will be observed on 30 August this year.
Vijayan has asked people to use locally-sourced flowers, adding that transporting flowers from epidemic hotspots in neighbouring states may constitute a Covid-19 transmission hazard.