After COVID-19 spike, Thiruvananthapuram begins triple lockdown

Thiruvananthapuram begins triple lockdown from Monday (July 6) after the Kerala government took the decision on Sunday following a spike in cases in the district.

The announcement came hours after Tourism Minister Kadakampally Surendran said that the capital district was “sitting on an active volcano.” Surendran who is also the district in-charge said that the lockdown will be in effect from 6 am on July 6 in the city corporation limit and would last for a week.

“People should not venture out. We need strict restrictions to contain the spread of the virus. During triple lockdown, there will be more restrictions. Only necessary services will be allowed,” he said.

The triple lockdown measure was announced after Thiruvananthapuram recorded 27 new cases on Sunday, the highest ever for the capital. Of the 27 cases reported 22 were said to have contracted the infection through contact, that has raised concerns over community spread of the disease.

The lockdown will be in place across hundred wards in the district.

What is triple lockdown?

Triple lockdown will be a targeted lockdown strategy where the first lockdown will be imposed on the Thiruvananthapuram Corporation and no movement to and fro in its limits will be allowed.

The second lockdown will focus on the places or areas from where the cases have been reported (clusters) where there are primary and secondary contacts, making the risk of infection high.

The third lock will be on houses of infected persons to ensure they do not come out of their homes and stayed inside. This is the most crucial aspect in checking community spread.

Only essential services will be allowed and people will be allowed to visit medical shops ad hospitals only with a prescription. All roads to the district will be closed and no public transportation will be allowed. The state secretariat along with all other government offices will be closed.

Kerala reported the second highest single-day rise of 225 COVID-19 cases on Sunday taking the total to 5,429.