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Kerala announces fresh curbs as Covid-19 cases soar
“It is a fact that during the elections, most of the restrictions were thrown to winds,” state health minister KK Shailaja said
In the wake of a sharp increase in Covid-19 cases, Kerala has imposed new restrictions in the state to contain the surge. State chief secretary VP Joy convened a meeting of the core committee on the pandemic on Monday and decided to introduce strict measures.
State health minister KK Shailaja admitted that the next two weeks will be crucial for the state. “It is a fact that during the elections, most of the restrictions were thrown to winds. Cases are likely to up considerably in the next two weeks. There is no need for panic but people should be extra cautious,” she said.
“Restaurants and hotels will be closed at 9 pm and any public event can’t go on for more than two hours. Mega shopping festivals and other big events will not be allowed till further notice. Public feasts will not be allowed and in hotels, the capacity will be restricted to 50% only. Social distancing and masking will be implemented with full force and cops have been instructed accordingly,” a state government spokesman said.
On Monday, Kerala reported 5,692 new cases with a test positivity rate of (TPR) of 12.53%. North Kerala’s district Kozhikode reported maximum cases, 1,010. The active caseload of Covid-19 stands at 47.596 in the state as it reported 11 more deaths taking the toll to 4,794.
Health ministry statistics show there is a steady rise in new cases and the TPR in the last ten days. On April 1, new Covid-19 cases were 2,798 but on April 12 they shot up to 5,692. Similarly, the TPR was below five% in the first week of April while it went up to 12.53% on Monday.
During the year-end, cases had peaked in the state. On October 10, the TPR had touched a record high of 17.46. It went up again after the local body elections, clocking 14 to 15% in December but came down after two months in March.
During the recently-concluded assembly election, Covid-19 safety norms were flouted by almost all political parties and health officials fear another high in the coming days. Hospital admissions have also been high in the past week. Health ministry officials warn of a shortage of ICU beds if the situation continues.
Last week, chief minister Pinarayi Vijayan and former CM Oommen Chandy tested positive for the virus and both are recuperating.
The state has also sent samples to the Institute of Genomics and Integrative Biology to find if any variation has occurred in the strain of SARS-CoV 2 in the state. Health officials said results will be expected by this weekend. Records show the state has a long way to make the vaccination drive effective. As of now, only 10.13% of the population has been vaccinated against Covid-19. The state’s biggest achievement is its low mortality rate - 0.14 against the national average of 1.52%, statistics show.
