Thiruvananthapuram under triple lockdown as Kerala’s Covid-19 tally rises to 5,622
With 193 new Covid-19 cases reported on Monday, the state’s tally went up to 5,622 while two more deaths reported during the day took the death toll to 28.
The Kerala government on Monday imposed a week-long triple lockdown in state capital Thiruvananthapuram and in some areas of Malappuram district as the coronavirus graph continued to rise steadily.
With 193 new Covid-19 cases reported on Monday, the state’s tally went up to 5,622 while two more deaths reported during the day took the death toll to 28. Active cases in the state now stand at 2,252.
Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan said that around 1.60 lakh people are under observation, adding that strict norms were introduced to check the spread of the disease.
The announcement about the triple lockdown was made on Sunday, hours after state’s tourism minister K Surendran said the district was ‘’sitting on an active volcano’’ with rising number of Covid-19 cases.
On Monday, while acknowledging the fact that the triple lockdown will lead to “some difficulties”, the CM said that it was in the larger interest.
“True, there will be some difficulties due to the triple lockdown. But we have to suffer it for the larger interest,” said the CM.
During the week-long lockdown, people have been asked not to step outside their homes. In case of any emergency, they can contact the police and seek their help. All streets and roads have been blocked and each locality will have only a single entry / exit point. Each area will be manned by a senior officer and violators will be either arrested or shifted to institutional quarantine. There will be no public transport.
However, after protests against the strict rules, the government gave some relaxation in the lockdown, allowing people to purchase essential items between 7 am and 11 am in Thiruvananthapuram. .
On Sunday the government had amended the Kerala Epidemic Diseases Control Ordinance 2020 to give more teeth to lockdown laws. The guidelines, made mandatory for a year, include wearing face masks and observing social distancing . The not wearing face masks can be slapped with an increased fine of Rs 10,000 or face two-year jail term.
