NewDelhi: Amid the grim COVID situation in Kerala, which is recording nearly 30,000 infections daily, Union Health Ministry sources on Wednesday said that the alarming spike in new infections in the state is expected to recede by mid-September only if strict containment and lockdown measures will be followed across the state.
“There is no other way but to lock down areas where the infection rate is high. The test positivity rate is high and cases can only come down if strict lockdown is implemented,” Health Ministry sources said as quoted by News18.
The sources further said that Kerala needs a smart and strategic lockdown, including a night curfew in wake of the surge after the curbs were eased during the festive season. The sources said Kerala needs to follow curbs, not just at the district level, and penetrate deeper to focus on affected neighbourhoods.
“The infection spread has been high for over a month and if strict lockdown is implemented now, in two weeks from now, by mid of September, Kerala will see start to see a decline in the number of cases,” they said.
Kerala has reported an average of 13,500 cases per day in July and almost 19,500 daily cases in August. It also remains one of the top contributors in terms of daily cases and is accounting for more than half of the active Covid cases in the country at present.
As many as 30,203 new COVID-19 cases and 115 deaths were reported in Kerala on Tuesday. The rampant surge in cases is being recorded even after the state has imposed a night curfew from 10 pm to 6 am to tackle the transmission of the infection. For the past few days, Kerala is contributing to the majority of cases in the country’s daily Covid count.
At present, Kerala has 2,18,892 active COVID-19 cases. In the last 24 hours, 20,687 recoveries were registered, taking the cumulative recoveries to 38,17,004. The death toll climbed to 20,788 while the test positivity rate stood at 18.86 per cent.
Meanwhile, in a bid to curb the virus, the state is also observing Sunday lockdowns. Amid a rise in COVID-19 cases in the state, the Kerala government has decided to conduct a seroprevalence to determine the immunity of people against the virus and assess the risk of the spread of the pandemic.
The central government has warned the state government that the months of September and October will be crucial in pandemic management and cautioned that festivals should be celebrated in accordance with Covid-19-appropriate behaviour.
Bureau Report
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