THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: A Covid review meet on Thursday decided to impose more restrictions in four more districts -- Idukki, Kottayam, Pathanamthitta and Kollam -- in Kerala due to an increase in Covid patients. The districts are classified as Category C, which calls for utmost focus as per the latest guidelines.
A district is classified as Category C, if more than 25 per cent patients admitted in hospitals are Covid patients. In such districts, no public functions are allowed and only 20 people are allowed to attend marriages and funerals. Gyms, theatres and swimming pools are not allowed to function. Earlier, Thiruvananthapuram became the first district to be included in the category. The state reported 3,00,556 active patients on Wednesday. But only 10820 people are admitted in various hospitals.
Alappuzha, Ernakulam, Thrissur, Palakkad, Wayanad and Kannur are in Category B. Malappuram and Kozhikode are in Category A. Kasaragod is not in any of the categories.
The meeting also decided to reopen a Covid war room in the Secretariat to monitor the occupancy of Covid beds, ICU beds and ventilators. Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan who chaired the meeting directed the officers to take steps to start more Covid first line treatment centres. He also asked for strengthening the Covid Jagaratha Samithis, Covid management groups at the local body level.
The meeting has also approved a testing approach which requires a Covid test for only those who develop symptoms before getting treatment in hospitals. Private hospitals conducing dialysis have been asked to arrange separate dialysis facility for Covid patients.
The districts will be classified on the basis of number of people admitted in hospitals, from a base line date of January 1
Category A: The occupancy doubles from baseline date and ICU admission increases by 50%
Districts: Malappuram, Kozhikode
- Only 50 people will be allowed to attend marriages, funerals and public functions in districts
Category B: If more than 10% of patients admitted are Covid patients and ICU admission doubled from baseline date
Districts: Alappuzha, Ernakulam, Thrissur, Palakkad, Wayanad and Kannur
- Only 20 people will be allowed to attend marriages and funerals. No public functions shall be allowed in the district. Religious functions shall be restricted to online.
Category C: If more than 25% of patients admitted are Covid patients
Districts: Thiruvananthapuram, Idukki, Kottayam, Pathanamthitta, Kollam
- All restrictions of Category 2
- Additionally swimming pool and gyms will be shut.
- Only classes of final semester of graduate and post graduate courses will function in the offline mode. All other classes including tuition classes will be switched to online mode.