Kerala to tighten COVID curbs to tame high positivity rate
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Thiruvananthapuram: Considering the high Covid test positivity rate in the state, Kerala Chief Minister PinarayiVijayan in his customary Covid-19 press meet announced that the state will be imposing further restrictions.
As per the new regulations, only essential services will operate in Category D areas. Union and state government offices, public offices, Public Sector Undertakings (PSUs), companies, commissions, and corporation offices in Category A and B local bodies can function with up to 50% of staff. And establishments in category C areas can accommodate up to 25% capacity, reported The News Minute.
The CM said that the remaining 50% staff A and B places and 75% in C, and officers from all sectors should be involved in COVID-19 prevention activities. District collectors are in charge of assigning work and the vast majority of employees in category D will be part of preventative measures. "Areas with a high prevalence of the disease are considered clusters. At the same time, a micro-containment system will be introduced," he added.
The state has been seeing an average TPR of 12.1% for the last three days. Malappuram district has the highest positivity rate of 17%. In the other 11 districts, TPR is above 10%. Kerala had recorded 17,518 new Covid-19 cases and 132 related deaths on Friday. The daily TPR was 13.63%.
Areas with TPR below 5% fall under category A. Category B have TPR between 5-10%. Places with TPR 10-15% fall under category C. Regions in category D have TPR above 15%.
PinarayiVijayan said that the third wave of Covid-19 is unlikely to occur in the state if herd immunity is achieved. He insisted that a third wave will not occur naturally but it will be caused by the flaws in Covid-19 protocol and lapses in vaccine supply. He added that at least 60% of the population will have to be vaccinated to achieve herd immunity.
The CM declared that the state has vaccinated 35.51% of its population with the first dose. 14.94% are fully vaccinated. He pointed out that this is higher than the national average. "So far, in the state, 1,77,09,529 people have been vaccinated. 1,24,64,589 received the first dose of vaccine, and 52,44,940 have received both doses," he told the reporters.