Kerala govt to come out with stringent norms against Covid-19

The Kerala government on Friday decided to implement strict restrictions in the state capital and Ernakulam district, among others, where Covid-19 positive cases and the number of those infected through contacts is on the rise.

State Tourism Minister Kadakampally Surendran told reporters here that the city Corporation has decided to implement strict health protocol in the capital city with the number of cases shooting up. The city Corporation has taken steps to contain the pandemic. It has taken steps to disinfect the Saphalyam shopping complex and the Palayam Connemara market.

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Other major shopping malls and institutions have been brought under scanner for stringent compliance of health protocol, Surendran said. He said the state government has given strict instruction to the district administrations to take stern action, including cancellation of licence of those shops and other institutions which refuse to adhere to the health protocol. The Corporation had this morning disinfected the Connemara market and the Saphalyam shopping complex after an employee of a major store in the complex tested positive. As of now, 18 wards of the Corporation have been categorised as hotspots.

The situation in Ernakulam has also forced the state government to declare containment zones in any part of the district. Ernakulam had 191 patients till Thursday. "We will implement strict health protocol as the cases are increasing. Registration of the vehicles which violate the Covid-19 protocol will be cancelled," Agriculture minister V S Sunilkumar told the media at Ernakulam.

People need to be more careful about the situation. The shops must not be crowded and all norms should be strictly followed. People should also not venture out unnecessarily, he said. On Thursday, the state's Covid-19 tally touched 4,753, with 160 fresh cases.

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In what could be some relief, 202 people have been cured, the highest single-day recovery so far. Thiruvananthapuram and Ernakulam reported nine cases each on Thursday and there are at least 123 hotspots in the state. Palakkad has the highest number of positive cases 249, while Malappuram accounts for 226 cases, Kannur 217 and Pathanamthitta 206.