COVID-19: Kerala govt announces complete lockdown on July 31 & August 1; check guidelines

As India continues to battle the second wave of COVID-19, the Kerala government on Thursday, July 29, announced a complete weekend lockdown on July 31 and August 1 in line with the current situation of Coronavirus infection spread. The state has witnessed a sharp rise in the Coronavirus spread as 22,056 fresh COVID-19 cases were reported on Wednesday, July 28, pushing the infection caseload to 33,27,301, with the number of people who succumbed to the virus rising to 16,457 with 131 more deaths.

Centre to send 6-member team led by NCDC Director to Kerala

Union Health Minister Mansukh Mandaviya said that the government is sending a six-member team to Kerala headed by the Director of the National Centre for Disease Control. As a large number of COVID-19 cases are still being reported in Kerala, the team will aid the state’s ongoing efforts in COVID management.

The 6-member central team to Kerala will be headed by Dr. SK Singh, Director, National Centre for Disease Control (NCDC). The team will reach Kerala on July 30 and visit few districts. The central team would be closely working with the state health departments and recommend necessary public health interventions to contain the large number of COVID-19 cases being reported in Kerala.

COVID situation in Kerala

India had recorded 43,654 new cases on Wednesday, July 28, half of which were reported from Kerala. In addition, it also became the first state in more than 50 days to record over 20,000 new cases. 

The death toll in Kerala has crossed 16,500. However, the opposition has also claimed that more than 8000 deaths have not been reported by the state government. The positivity rate in the state has remained between 10 to percent in the last few weeks. In the wake of the serious COVID-19 situation in Kerala, the Supreme Court has come down heavily on the state government over the management of the COVID-19 crisis. Apart from this, the Indian Medical Association (IMA) has also criticized the state for its ‘unscientific’ methods to tackle the surge of novel Coronavirus cases. The test positivity rate in Kerala remains high at 11.7 percent.

Earlier, the Kerala government had announced COVID-19 lockdown relaxations on July 18, 19, and 20 as part of the Bakrid celebrations. As per Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan orders, apart from shops selling essential items in the A, B & C categories, permission will be given to open textile shops, footwear shops, electronics shops, fancy shops & jewellery shops till 8 pm.

(Image credit: PTI/REPRESENTATIVEIMAGE)