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Covid-19 latest: 42 new cases set record for single-day spike in Kerala
Kerala CM says he will insist on quarantining residents who will start arriving on domestic flights that will resume operation from May 25
Kerala reported a big spike with 42 new coronavirus cases on Friday, the highest in a day since the outbreak in January last, largely due to the continued repatriation of expats from the middle-eastern countries and return of residents stranded in other parts of the country.
“More people are expected in the coming days. We can’t say no to our people. Situation is really critical but there is no need to panic either. What we need is more vigil and surveillance. We will do everything possible to avoid secondary infections,” said Kerala chief minister Pinarayi Vijayan, adding that more than 90,000 people have arrived in the state by rail, road and air in the last two weeks.
Out of total 732 coronavirus cases registered in the state so far, 216 are active- a sharp increase from 16 active cases about two weeks ago. The number of people under observation has also gone up to 85,000 from 5,000 at one stage.
Out of 42 new cases registered on Friday, 21 are patients who arrived here from other states and 17 are foreign returnees, the CM said. North Kerala districts of Kannur and Malappuram have maximum active cases-- 36 each.
The state has recorded five deaths to the disease so far; the last casualty was a woman who had returned from Mumbai two days ago.
The pressure to contain the spread of the disease is only going to go up after more people arrive on domestic flights that are resuming on May 25. The CM said the state will insist on a 14-day mandatory quarantine for residents arriving on domestic flights.
Union Civil Aviation Minister Hardeep Singh Puri had recently said that there was no need to put domestic travelers in quarantine.
“We can’t take chances. It (quarantine) is not meant for business travelers and others who come for brief visits. But people who are coming here to stay will have to undergo a 14-day home quarantine like those coming by train,” he said.
The HT Guide to Coronavirus COVID-19
Vijayan said the government will take strict action against those who flout quarantine norms and cited that 100 cases were registered against such violators in the last two days. He also noted that many aged people and children were venturing out of homes after increased relaxation.
“It is not a healthy trend. The government has made it clear that people who crossed 65 years of age and children below 10 years of age can come out only in urgent situations. But this is being flouted quite often,” he said adding that reverse quarantine is a must in such situations.
Reverse quarantine refers to the practice of isolating a set of people including those with underlying medical conditions, those aged 65 years and above and the immune-compromised, so that they are protected against infections. The state has started experimenting with it in some districts.
