Lockdown in Thiruvananthapuram city Corporation limits extended by a week

The Thiruvananthapuram district administration on Sunday extended the lockdown in the city Corporation limits till July 20 to contain the spread of Covid-19.

However, certain relaxations have been allowed including playing of taxis and autorickshaws following strict Covid protocols.

Thiruvananthapuram district collector Navjot Khosa, in a Sunday evening order, said there was a need for continuation of total and complete lockdown within the limits of the corporation to contain the further spread of Covid-19.

The city corporation has been under triple lockdown since July 6.

"The entire Thiruvananthapuram Corporation will continue to be under strict lockdown with effect from 13.07.2020, 6 am onwards for a further period of 7 days," the order said.

Also, there will be a night curfew in force in Thiruvananthapuramfrom 9 pm to 5 am.

CORONAVIRUS SPECIAL COVERAGE ONLY ON DH

"... more than 550 live cases are treated in various hospitals in the district as on date and epidemiological investigation has been carried out in each and every case... As on July 12, a large number of cases with unknown sources leading to multiple clusters have been identified in the city," the Collector said.

According to the order, the contact tracing of such cases were identified and are spread along various LSGs and most of these unknown cases and local contacts have a large number of contacts throughout the city.

The district administration has decided to allow construction activities of basic infrastructure like highways, roads, bridges and hospital-related infrastructure, agriculture, horticulture, plantation, dairy, poultry, animal husbandry and veterinary services.

IT parks can function with essential staff while taxisand autorickshaws can operate maintaining Covid-19 protocol including wearing masks and with a provision of sanitiser.

The district administration has directed that banking services can operate with 50 per cent of staff.

As per the order, there will be no door delivery of any item except for medicines and food from Janakiya Hotels run by Kudumbashree and the city corporation.

Thiruvananthapuram district has548 Covid-19 cases, the highest in the state with 18,280 people under home quarantine and 1,794 under institutional quarantine.

At least 538 persons are in isolations of various hospitals in the district.