Covid-19 lockdown in Thiruvananthapuram extended for one more week

Triggering serious concerns of community spread of Covid-19 in Kerala, 204 of the 416 fresh cases reported in the state on Friday were due to local spread.

In Thiruvananthapuram district alone 105 of the 129 fresh cases were due to local spread, forcing the government to extend the ongoing week-long triple lockdown in the city for one more week. It will be a lockdown in the city and triple lockdown in all containment zones, said Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan.

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Meanwhile, the coastal area of Poonthura in the city witnessed people staging protest alleging lack of basic facilities and improper treatment. Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan alleged of a political ploy of the opposition parties in triggering protest by the people in the coastal area. Some local leaders of opposition were spreading misleading messages regarding steps like antigen tests.

The Chief Minister said that the increasing number of cluster formations and super spread could be considered as initial stages of community spread and hence the state was on a high alert. The rate of infection through local spread, which was remaining around 10 percent till couple of weeks back, has now crossed 20 percent.

The fresh Covid-19 cases in the state also included 35 ITBP personnel, two BSF personnel and one CISF personnel. As the situation was becoming grim, private hospitals would be also utilised for Covid-19 treatment, he said.