THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Taking the tally of Covid19 active cases to 130, the state on Monday reported 29 more cases. Of the reported cases, 21 are foreign returnees, seven are returnees from other states and one is a healthcare worker who contracted the infection through contact. For the second consecutive day, no one gets recovered from the illness. Six new hotspot areas were also announced on the day.
At the same time, with the state starting to deal with a fresh wave of Covid19 cases, the government has decided to ensure people participation in surveillance activities. It also demands responsible behaviour from people including practising social distancing and wearing of facemasks as more relaxations were allowed to bring back normalcy.
“Lockdown can’t be considered as a long term solution. Now we know what this virus is, how it transmits and what to do to prevent it? This knowledge will have to be practised in a religious manner by each one of us. Also, society should take up the task of keeping an eye on those who are undergoing quarantine. It should be ensured that they are not flouting the quarantine rules,” said Pinarayi Vijayan.
The cases reported on the day were from Kollam (six); Thrissur (four); Thiruvananthapuram and Kannur (three each); Pathanamthitta, Alappuzha, Kottayam, Kozhikode and Kasaragod (two each); Ernakulam, Palakkad and Malappuram (one each).
The new hotspot areas declared on the day were, Kalluvathukkal in Kollam and Kadambazhypuram, Muthuthala, Karakurussy, Kottay and Muthalamada in Palakkad. The total hotspot areas in the state now are 29. As per the data released by the health department, a total of 65, 564 returnees have entered the state through various means to date. This includes 58, 919 through check posts, 3,998 through airports, 1,621 through seaports and 1026 through railway stations.