Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan on Thursday said the State should brace itself for heavy rain. Low pressure over the Arabian sea portends rough seas and heavy rain over Kerala till June 1. The government has banned maritime fishing. It has deemed setting off to sea or backwaters for fishing an illegal act until further notice. Boats engaged in deep-sea fishery have been asked to make for the nearest port at the earliest. Coastal police stations are on alert. The police are patrolling fish-landing centres and harbours and broadcasting weather warnings. The government seems wary of a replay of the 2017 Ockhi cyclone which had caught weather persons and the fishers off guard. The southwest monsoon is expected to make landfall in the first week of June. The weather department has predicted that the monsoon is likely to be vigorous over Kerala. Onus on people He said people should clean their homes and neighbourhoods to prevent the spread of vectors and water-borne diseases characteristic of the season. Hospitals should mandatorily test persons with flu and cold symptoms for COVID-19. Kerala has readied its disaster response mechanism. Emergency services and volunteer rescue teams are on the standby. Kerala would draw on its reserve of 3,37,00 Sannadham’ volunteers. They have proffered their services to the State to fight the pandemic. Nearly two lakh of them would be trained in rescue and relief work to assist the police, Fire and Rescue Services and local body officials in the event of a calamity.