"Kerala Needs Smart Strategic Lockdown To Curb Surge": Government Sources

With over 85 per cent Covid patients in Kerala isolated at home, the state needs to step up measures to curb the daily surge, Union Health Ministry sources said today, stressing on a "smart and strategic lockdown". Kerala has not been following the Centre's advice while reporting the highest daily cases in the country, officials insisted, adding that neighbouring states are feeling the impact.

Highlighting the importance of micro-containment zones, government sources said Kerala needs to follow curbs, not just at the district level, and penetrate deeper to focus on affected neighbourhoods.

Patients recovering at home are not following all safety rules and this is why Kerala is not able to contain the spread of the virus, they added.

Officials said the coastal state, which is a popular holiday destination, urgently needs to apply stricter measures in containment zones and restrict movement.

Kerala's weekly positivity rate remains at 14-19 per cent and it is bound to spill over to its neighbours, officials stressed.

Karnataka has already announced seven-day mandatory institutional quarantine for those arriving from Kerala.

The southern state - that earlier drew applause for its handling of the pandemic - recorded over 30,000 fresh cases in the last 24 hours, while India's tally was 41,965. The state has been reporting more than 10,000 new cases every day for more than a month even as other states witnessed a drop in daily surge.

Kerala has logged over 40 lakh cases since the start of the pandemic, and over 20,000 deaths linked to the virus. 

This week, a 10 pm- 6 am night curfew returned in the state amid attempts to break the chain of transmission. Even Onam celebrations were subdued as the spike remains a national concern.