Kerala: From Today onwards, Kerala’s Capital Thiruvananthapuram to observe ‘triple lockdown’ for a week following the hike in the cases due to coronavirus in the district.
Of the 27 new cases reported on Sunday, 22 had contracted the disease through primary contact. There are now 130 active cases in the district.
The lockdown started from 6am on Monday morning, police seized many vehicles and arrested several violators in the district.
The announcement about the triple lockdown on Sunday came hours after K Surendran, the state’s tourism minister, said the district was ‘’sitting on an active volcano’’ with rising number of Covid-19 cases.
What is Triple Lockdown?
Triple lockdown is a three-phased COVID-19 containment strategy, which was first perceived in Kasaragod district in the month of April.
This strategy involves three stages. In the first stage, strict lockdown will be enforced in the Thiruvananthapuram Corporation limit. Vehicles and persons will not be allowed to enter or exit the corporation limit.
The second stage will be implemented in a cluster area, where COVID-19 cases have been reported. Since these areas contain primary and secondary contacts, a lockdown will prevent further spread to neighbouring areas.
As part of the third stage, the lockdown will be implemented in the houses of persons diagnosed with COVID-19. This stage is critical so that to prevent community spread.
However, Only hospitals, medical shops and grocery shops under the corporation can remain open. No government office, including the secretariat, will function during this time. The chief minister’s office would function from the official residence.
“There will be no public transportation. Only medical other essential shops and hospitals will function. People can go to medical shops with a proper prescription,” K Surendran said on Sunday.