KOCHI: The rural police have registered a case against 45 people for violating the Covid-19 protocol during the funeral of a 72-year-old woman, who died of Covid, at Thottakkattukara in Aluva on Friday.As per the preliminary report of the rural police, around 200 persons attended the funeral. An investigation has been launched and more people are likely to be booked.The development has left police and health officials concerned as they are yet to trace the people who attended the funeral. So far, the elderly woman’s son and son-in-law have also tested Covid positive.
Though the elderly woman had shown the symptoms of Covid, the family members carried out the funeral without even waiting for her Covid test results. Later, when the results came, it turned out that she was infected.“Despite the state going through such a tough phase, people are not taking things seriously. Though the Covid-19 protocol clearly says that no more than 20 people should be present at a funeral, a large number of people participated in the woman’s funeral. We have registered a case against over 40 people and are tracing the other attendees,” said K Karthik, District police chief (Rural).
“Aluva municipality is completely under lockdown after a large number of cases, including those of local transmission, were reported from the area. Now, we are fearing another wave of infection as Covid protocol was not followed during the woman’s funeral. The efforts of the officials of the district administration, police, health and other departments are going in vain as people are not following the protocol,” said a top officer with the health department.
Police come to aid of Chellanam residents
Kochi: The city police, in collaboration with ‘Fresh to Home’, has distributed kits each containing 22 essential items to every household in wards 15, 16 and 17 of Chellanam grama panchayat, since it was declared a containment zone on July 8. As many as 1,375 families reside in the wards. The kits were given as part of the police’s initiative ‘Amrutham’. “Residents in a containment zone have to just send an audio, video or text message to Amrutham’s WhatsApp number and the requested items will be delivered to their doorsteps,” said an official.