Initiate smart and strategic lockdowns, Health Ministry tells Kerala
The sources said the state needs to implement curbs at a micro level, not just the district-level
Kerala must implement a “smart and strategic lockdown” to deal with the rising cases of COVID-19 in the state, according Union health ministry sources.
With more than 85 per cent of coronavirus patients in Kerala isolated at homes, the state government needs to step up measures to curb the daily surge, the sources told NDTV.
The sources said the state needs to implement curbs at a micro level, not just the district-level.
Patients who are recovering at homes are not adhering to COVID norms, and this is one of the reasons why the state is not able to contain the spread of the virus, the sources told NDTV.
The state’s weekly positivity rate remains between 14 per cent and 19 per cent, and the neighbouring states are also feeling spillover effects, the sources.
Also read: Onam effect: Daily cases may breach 30K-mark in Kerala soon
Karnataka has already announced seven-day mandatory institutional quarantine for those coming from Kerala.
Kerala recorded more than 30,000 fresh cases in the last 24 hours, while India’s tally was 41,965. The state has been reporting more than 10,000 new cases every day for more than a month. A post-Onam surge has worsened the situation in a few districts, as reported earlier by The Federal.
Despite the rise in cases, the government is confident that it is handling the situation well. “The government is targeting hundred per cent vaccination (first dose) for the targeted adult population by the end of September. In terms of vaccination, Kerala goes above the national average,” Health Minister Veena George said recently.
One doctor backed the government’s assertion. “Even if we have 30,000 cases a day, I don’t think the situation will be very critical. The ICU and ventilator occupancy in the state does not show an alarming rise,” said Dr. Arun N.M.