THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The fresh Covid cases being reported in the district remain high as 461 people tested positive here on Monday, including three persons who have died. The deceased are Kurien Titus, 42, a Muttada native who passed away on August 13; Selvaraj, 53, a Parassala native; and Siluvamma, 75, who died on August 3. A funeral led to the formation of a Covid cluster in Madavoor as a person who attended the rites tested positive. Eventually, in the first set of tests done, 15 persons were confirmed with the infection, of whom the cases of 12 were announced by the government on Monday. On Monday, another 30 tests were done, the results of which are yet to be announced.
“The people who tested positive are mostly the people who attended the funeral or their family members. We are doing further tests here to prevent a spread,” said an official with Madavoor panchayat.In a separate incident, two police officers tested positive in Madavoor. In Varkala, 12 persons tested positive including seven health workers of a private hospital. Parassala reported 27 cases, mostly through local transmission.
In the city, 200 new cases were reported including 153 cases at Poojapura Central Jail. However, it was a day of relief for the major clusters in city limits with only four cases being reported from Poonthura, eight from Vizhinjam, six from Vallakadavu and eight from Medical College Hospital. Among the total cases, 15 are health workers. The district also reported 270 recoveries on the day.
Protest in Anchuthengu
T’Puram: Residents of Anchuthengu held a protest on Monday demanding the lifting of all restrictions in the coastal panchayat. The protestors blocked Mambally, Anchuthengu junction and Mannakkulam areas. Their primary demand was the permission to sell their daily catch outside containment zones. As per the existing regulations, the daily catch is either sold in containment zones or purchased by wholesalers. According to the protestors, the money earned by selling fish inside the zone is not enough to make ends meet. Representatives of the district administration arrived and assured the protestors of immediate action to diffuse the tension.
“We informed them that the current restrictions will be in place for one more week. Further decisions will be taken after evaluating the situation at the time,” said an official with the district administration. Earlier, another protest was held in Anchuthengu demanding relaxations in fishing restrictions. Following massive protests across the coastal zones of Thiruvananthapuram -- Pulluvila, Poonthura, Shankhumukham and Anchuthengu -- the district administration had announced some relaxations with regard to fishing activities.