Kerala to impose full Covid-19 lockdown on July 31, August 1 as cases rise

The Kerala government will impose a complete lockdown on July 31 and August 1 in view of the rising Covid-19 cases in the state, news agency ANI reported.

Union Health Minister Mansukh Mandaviya also said in a tweet that the Centre would send a 6-member team to Kerala headed by the Director of National Centre for Disease Control to aid the state's ongoing efforts in Covid-19 management.

"Central Government is sending 6 member team to Kerala headed by NCDC Director. As large number of Covid cases are still being reported in Kerala, the team will aid state’s ongoing efforts in Covid-19 management," he said.

India's daily cases have fallen after a devastating second wave that overwhelmed the healthcare system, and vaccination efforts are gaining steam. But experts have warned the authorities against swiftly reopening cities.

Kerala, with an active caseload of around 154,000, accounts for 37.1 per cent of India's total active cases. Its case positivity rate indicating the pace of spread in infections is now the country's highest.

"Special intensified stringent restrictions are being implemented in the areas where the test positivity rate is high," the state's department of disaster management said in a statement announcing a "complete lockdown" from Sunday.

During the last four weeks, seven of Kerala's 14 districts reported an increasing trend in daily new infections, government data released earlier this week showed.

The Centre has left decisions on lockdowns and reopenings to state authorities, leading to an uneven response that experts say has allowed new hotspots to develop even as infections fall in previous epicentres.

India on Thursday reported 43,509 new coronavirus cases in the previous 24 hours, taking the overall tally to 31.53 million, though experts believe the actual figure could be much higher.

(Inputs from Reuters)