E-Paper
‘Sitting on an active volcano’: Kerala minister worried about Covid-19 community transmissions
Kerala government has been advised to clamp a hard lockdown in containment areas due to some cases without identifiable trails.
Kerala reported more than 200 new Coved 19 cases for the third straight day on Sunday taking the tally of coronavirus cases in the state to 5,429. While the number of active cases at 2,228 may not seem to be very high, the authorities have sounded an alarm since fears of the disease entering the community-spread stage in some regions have risen due to inability to trace contacts of some positive cases.
Reflecting the heightened state of alert in the state, tourism minister Kadakampally Surendran stated that the Thiruvananthapuram district could potentially be “sitting on an active volcano” while expressing the fear centered around the beginning of community transmissions of the deadly contagion.
“It’s like we are sitting on top of an active volcano which can burst anytime. Just because there has been no community spread till now doesn’t mean it will not occur,” the minister was quoted as having said by news agency PTI.
Surendran said that the state government had decided to further raise the number of tests by conducting more antigen tests in the district to better understand the patter of the spread of the virus.
Kerala reported one more death due to the virus taking the toll to 26. While the majority of fresh cases are among the returnees to the state-- either from abroad or from other states, there is also a rise in the number of secondary infections, which is the main cause of worry.
Surendran said the restrictions in containment zones would be tightened further and food delivery boys will be tested following reports of a policeman and a food delivery boy testing positive.
To add to the Covid 19 containment challenges in the capital district, two people jumped quarantine from a state facility in Varkala on Sunday morning before they were nabbed. This is not the first such instance in the state and the government has specifically warned people against jumping quarantine, which is suspected to be one of the reasons triggering the second wave of infections seen earlier in the state.
Kerala woman again turns Covid 19 positive after recovery, state medical board to study her case
On Saturday, Kerala’s COVID-19 tally had crossed the 5,000 mark with 240 fresh cases- the highest single day spike so far. Thiruvananthapuram had reported 16 of those.
Experts from the Indian Medical Association (IMA), Kerala chapter had asked the state government to enforce a strict lockdown in containment areas and restrict movement of people to avert community spread.
The CM had also impressed upon the need for stricter curbs given the uniform spread of the disease within the state.
