THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: With the locking down of local bodies based on test positivity rate (TPR) failing to yield the desired result and Covid cases going up alarmingly, the state government has decided to revise its containment strategy.
During a review meeting here on Friday, Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan directed Chief Secretary V P Joy and the expert panel for Covid management to submit a more effective containment strategy which also addresses the issue of livelihood ahead of the next meeting scheduled for August 4. The existing strategy will be in force until then.
According to an official, Pinarayi expressed displeasure over the ineffectiveness of Covid containment strategy, which was proposed by senior bureaucrats and police officials. The expert panel comprising senior doctors had proposed more relaxations including opening up of all sectors with crowd control measures in force by mid-June. However, the suggestion of bureaucrats to divide local bodies into four categories based on TPR was approved by the CM back then.
Fresh cases, TPR and caseload have increased ever since the government imposed restrictions based on infection rate on June 16. On Friday, the TPR stood at 13.61%, the highest in a week, while 20,772 contracted the virus. The number of local bodies having TPR above 15% was 271 on Friday, against 16 on June 16. The state government had imposed statewide lockdown on May 8 as the pandemic was peaking in the second wave. In the last 40 days, as many as 16 persons committed suicide in the state owing to deep financial crises caused by lockdown.
Pinarayi’s suggestion comes after Shailaja raises concern
Merchants have announced they would open shops, violating restrictions, from August 9 if the government fails to understand their concerns.The CM's suggestion that the containment strategy should not be at the expense of livelihood came hours after former health minister K K Shailaja raised the same issue in the assembly.
The CM directed the chief secretary to hold talks with all stakeholders before formulating the new plan. The review meeting also decided to give more thrust to micro-containment, with district collectors being asked to formulate plans in consultation with local bodies. Quarantine and contact tracing will also be intensified.
It was also decided to seek more doses of vaccine for state as the sero- surveillance report by the ICMR indicated that more than half of Kerala population is still vulnerable to Covid. The state will approach the Centre with a request to give Kerala priority in vaccine distribution. Pinarayi said the state has infrastructure and manpower to administer one crore doses of vaccine a month. On Friday, the health department administered five lakh doses. In the review meeting, the CM also directed not to create trouble for tourists and hotels in tourist spots, in the name of curbs.
At the meeting, tourism Secretary V Venu said the sector has not become active despite the government allowing entry of tourists to popular destinations. He said lack of clarity on restrictions was causing confusion among stakeholders, who also faced obstruction from the police and local body authorities.