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As Covid TPR touches 40%, Kerala imposes lockdown-like curbs on next two Sundays

🔴 The decision comes in wake of rising cases of infection in Kerala, which logged 46,387 fresh Covid-19 cases, the highest ever single day spike in the infections.

Beneficiaries wait to receive a dose of Covid-19 vaccine, at a vaccination centre in Thiruvananthapuram, Tuesday, Sep 7, 2021. (PTI)Beneficiaries wait to receive a dose of Covid-19 vaccine, at a vaccination centre in Thiruvananthapuram, Tuesday, Sep 7, 2021. (PTI)

On a day it recorded a staggering 46,387 new Covid-19 cases, the highest ever single day spike, the Kerala government on Thursday decided to impose lockdown-like restrictions on next two Sundays, allowing functioning of essential services only.

With 46,387 new cases, the test positivity rate has soared to 40.2 per cent, which is the highest ever figure since the onslaught of the pandemic. The state tested 1,15357 samples in the last 24 hours. The worst-hit capital district of Thiruvananthapuram has 9720 new cases with a test positivity rate of 46.68 per cent. In the districts of Ernakulam and Kozhikode also TPR has gone up to 45.6 per cent and 42 per cent, respectively.

As many as 32 new Covid-19 deaths were reported, 309 other deaths have been included in the Covid-19 death tally after admitting appeals, taking the total number of deaths to 51,501.

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Districts have been categorised into three, making the number of patients hospitalised in a district as the main yardstick. Districts of Ernakulam, Alappuzha and Kollam have been clubbed into A category, while Palakkad, Thiruvananthapuram, Pathanamthitta, Idukki and Wayanad have been put into B category.

In districts in A category, only 50 persons would be allowed for all functions. In B category districts, only 20 persons would be allowed to attend functions. Places of worship in the B category would remain closed and devotees can attend rituals online.

Festive offer

In C category districts, no public events would be allowed, but for marriage and death related rituals 20 persons would be allowed to attend.

No decision was taken to close down malls, tourism centers, but directions were given to ensure Covid protocol and effective crowd management. Work from home would be allowed for feeding mothers and chronic patients, employed in both government and private sectors.

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Of 46387 new cases reported on Thursday, 29,926 had been fully vaccinated and 2162 had the first dose of vaccine. The number of health workers, who have been first to get two doses of vaccine, getting infected has also risen. On Thursday, 385 health workers tested positive. Several institutional clusters have emerged across Kerala at hospitals, police stations, educational institutions, and hostels.

The number of active patients, number of those admitted in hospitals, field hospitals, ICU, ventilator and in oxygen supported beds has increased by 201 per cent, 70 per cent,126 per cent, 48 per cent, 14 per cent and 64 per cent respectively, during January 13-19 compared to the previous week.

How are districts categorised for imposing restrictions

In a district where the rate of admission to hospital doubles from January 1, the baseline date, and the rate of Covid-19 patients admitted to the ICU exceeds 50 per cent, that district would be in the A category. At present, Ernakulam, Alappuzha, and Kollam districts are in A category, where only 50 persons would be allowed to attend all events, public, religious etc.

In a district where more than 10 percent of the patients admitted to the hospital are Covid-19 patients, if the rate of Covid patients admitted in ICU doubles from January 1, such a district would be in B category. At present, Thiruvananthapuram, Palakkad, Idukki, Pathanamthitta and Wayanad would fall in the B category, where no social, cultural, political, religious or public programmes would be allowed. A maximum of 20 persons will be allowed for marriage and posthumous ceremonies in these districts.

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In a district if more than 25 percent of the patients admitted to the hospital are Covid-19 patients, that district would be in C category. At present, no district in Kerala fall under C category.

First uploaded on: 20-01-2022 at 18:50 IST
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