Palayam market in Thiruvananthapuram being disinfected
Thiruvananthapuram: A triple lockdown has been declared in Thiruvananthapuram corporation. The one week lockdown will commence at 6 am on Monday. The decision comes in the wake of the increasing number of contact cases of coronavirus.
The secretariat will remain closed. Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan will work from his official residence.
Public will be allowed to come out of their homes only for emergency medical needs. The number of shops selling essential items will be limited. Only one shop will be allowed to open in an area. Essential items will be distributed to households through home delivery service.
The triple lockdown has been declared as the capital city remains on the brink of community transmission. Medical shops, hospitals and banks will continue to function.
Out of the 27 cases reported in Thiruvananthapuram on Sunday, 22 had developed the disease through contact. The source of 14 among them is unknown. None of them have any travel history which makes the situation even more concerning.
The capital city has the highest number of COVID-19 cases in the state and most of them belong to containment zones.
Officials including Devaswom Minister Kadakampally Surendran, who is in charge of the district are saying that the capital city is on the brink of community transmission. He said that the state capital district seemed to be sitting on an active volcano.
"There has been an increase, but no community spread. All have to strictly follow the Health Department directives," said Surendran adding that if community transmission takes place, it cannot be kept hidden.
Mayor K. Sreekumar said things were getting serious and very soon there would be new strict guidelines without which things would go out of hand.