Dakshina Kannada concerned over rising Covid-19 cases in neighbouring Kasargod

The rise in Covid-19 cases in the neighbouring Kasaragod district of Kerala has become a matter of concern for the Dakshina Kannada district.

As they share a border with each other, thousands of workers/labourers, businessmen, and students commute from Kasaragod to various parts of the D-K district daily.

Covid-19 cases have been ballooning in Kasaragod district. The new Covid-19 cases reported on a daily basis has been increasing. From 187 fresh cases that were reported on April 1, the positive cases have increased to 622 cases on April 18. The Kasaragod district saw 430 cases on April 13, 424 cases on 14th, 158 on 15th, 643 on 16th, 333 on 17th, and 622 on April 18.

Dakshina Kannada reported 1,285 cases from April 13 to 18, while Kasaragod reported 2,610 cases during the same period. The positivity rate in Kasaragod from April 13 to 18 is 14.9 per cent.

In fact, the positivity rate in Dakshina Kannada was high among students from Kerala, pursuing their studies in the district, between January and March. The positivity rate of the Kerala students in D-K was 6 per cent to 8 per cent till March, while the total positivity rate in Dakshina Kannada was 1.18 per cent in March.

When the Covid-19 cases increased in Kasaragod, the D-K district administration had imposed restrictions on the movement of people. However, as per a recent Karnataka High Court order, Dakshina Kannada district administration cannot impose restrictions on the movement of people on the interstate border.

According to District Health Officer (DHO) Dr Kishore Kumar, the department has increased the testing in the district. The target is to conduct 5,000 tests per day in Dakshina Kannada. Random tests are also conducted by the mobile teams at various interstate entry points. Efforts are being made to trace primary and secondary contacts of the infected, and they are being made to undergo tests mandatorily.

Kasargod District Collector Sajith Babu in a Facebook post had stated, “The district is going through the most critical period of the Covid-19 phase. Strict maintenance of Covid-19 protocol is expected from each and everyone in the district. Enforcement of strict protocol is becoming an inevitable proposition and kindly co-operate with the district administration for the betterment of all in the society.”

On the other hand, Kasaragod district administration had conducted a mega testing drive in the district following a surge in cases. A total of 8,321 people were tested for Covid-19 on April 16 and 17.

According to expert doctors in Dakshina Kannada, awareness is the need of the hour among people to check Covid-19. Wearing mask, maintaining distance, and frequently washing hands should be given priority.

The DHO said that Asha workers were in contact with those who are in home isolation and are verifying their health conditions over phone. Everyone should adhere to precautionary measures. Those eligible should also get vaccinated, he added.

Date	Cases in Kasargod	Cases in Dakshina Kannada
April 13	430	142
April 14	424	140
April 15	158	166
April 16	643	256
April 17	333	309
April 18	622	272