THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: With the state government gearing up to lift the blanket lockdown and introduce new strategies at the local body level to contain the pandemic, more relaxations are expected to come in place in Kerala from Thursday. However, Thiruvananthapuram is one of the three districts with a test positivity rate of above 15%. Based on the testing done in the last seven days, Kerala’s TPR stands at 13.5% while it’s 15.7% in Thiruvananthapuram.
As many as 22 panchayats in the district are showing a rising TPR. Pothencode, Amboori and Kadinamkulam are the three local self-governments with very high TPR, with Pothencode at 41%, and Amboori and Kadinamkulam recording 38% and 37%, respectively.
Localised restrictions
He said localised restrictions would work as the people will be forced to comply and follow the guidelines. “Restrictions would be imposed in panchayats having TPR of above 25%,” he added According to officials, one of the reasons for the high TPR is increasing mobility in Thiruvananthapuram even amid the lockdown restrictions.
They said the TPR in the corporation area is around 12% which is way below the district’s overall rate. “Movement of people is more in the corporation limits as the city is the state headquarters and it’s impossible to restrict movement. Restrictions should be lifted in a phased manner. In the corporation areas, wards having more cases would be declared critical containment zones and stricter restrictions imposed,” said an official of the corporation.
District panchayat president D Suresh Kumar said localised restrictions would be imposed at places where TPR is more. “Some of the panchayats have bounced back well during the lockdown and the TPR is below 10%. Earlier, more cases and deaths had been reported in these panchayats. They ramped up testing and followed restrictions. Now we aim to expedite the vaccination,” said Suresh Kumar.
Not adhering to safety protocols
According to officials, strict restrictions would be imposed in the panchayats with high TPR and lockdown-like restrictions will continue in micro-containment zones. District Medical Officer (DMO) K S Shinu told TNIE that people not following isolation norms properly is the prime reason for rising TPR.According to officials, the earlier, the norms were stricter and people who tested positive were sent to DCCs (Domiciliary Care Centres) or CFLTCs (Covid First-Line Treatment Centres). Now, people opt for home isolation even if they don’t have the facilities at home for isolation.
“The plan is to conduct mass testing and bring down the TPR in the coming days. The new variant is highly infectious and if strict home isolation is not followed, other family members will also get infected. This is happening in many panchayats, giving rise to home clusters. The district administration, police and health authorities have done their best to contain the pandemic. People are not scared anymore and the turnout for testing has come down. More testing would be done in the coming days,” said Shinu.
VACCINATION IN SPOTLIGHT
Patron of the Federation of Residents’ Association Thiruvananthapuram (FRAT) Paraniyam Devakumar said the authorities should ramp up vaccination drives on a war footing to avoid lockdown-like situations in the future. “Vaccinating the population should be the focus. Lockdown is ruining the lives of people. Only salaried class and pensioners can survive. A large majority of the population are reeling under financial constraints as they are unable to work or earn a living,” said Devakumar. An official of the District Disaster Management Authority (DDMA) said the district administration would draw up a plan on the restrictions to be imposed based on the decision of the state government. “We would come up with our plan based on the chief minister’s announcement of the government’s plan,” the official added.
Covid cases reported in district in 7 days (as of June 14)
Total tests: 81,686
Total cases: 12,812
TPR: 15.7%
Deaths: 289
Cumulative stats in district so far
Cases: 2,77,109
Recoveries: 2,62,314
Deaths: 2,400
Active case distribution
People under home isolation: 16,489
Patients admitted in DCCs: 1,265
Patients admitted in CFLTCs: 748
Patients admitted in CSLTCs: 662
Patients admitted in Covid hospitals: 1,090
Patients admitted in Covid hospitals: 1,090