Kerala’s COVID lockdown is extended for another week, and local bodies are classified on a TPR basis.
The Kerala government announced on Tuesday (June 29) that the lockdown would be extended for another week due to the slow decline in COVID-19 cases. After chairing a COVID review meeting, Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan announced that the locations will henceforth be categorised according to the disease’s spread. According to PTI, the LSG bodies have been reclassified based on the average Test Positivity Rate (TPR) for the previous seven days.
According to the new classification, there are 165 local governments in the A category (TPR less than 6%), 473 in the B category (6-12% TPR), 316 in the C category (12-18% TPR), and 80 in the D category (TPR more than 18 per cent).
“The average TPR is still above 10%, but it is down from a high of 29.75%. TPR decline is not progressing as expected. The lockdown cannot be maintained indefinitely. That is why the relaxations were permitted, but there is concern that the TPR will not fall below 10% “According to Vijayan,
The new restrictions will go into effect on Thursday (July 1), according to the CM.
According to Vijayan, statistics from the previous week show that there has been no significant decrease in the number of patients. “The TPR is expected to gradually decline.” “There are many people in Kerala who are not infected because the speed of transmission was well controlled in the first wave,” he assured.
A change in the funeral protocol for COVID victims has been announced by the new guidelines. Close relatives can now pay their respects and perform limited religious rites within an hour.
According to the CM, banks have been directed to halt revenue recovery proceedings for COVID-19 victims who have defaulted on bank loans.
Meanwhile, approximately 1,07,05,024 people have received the first dose, with 31,57,435 receiving both doses. The first COVID vaccine was administered to 40% of the state’s population, while only 12% were fully vaccinated with both shots.
“Once the vaccine is available, it can be distributed quickly and efficiently. We will be able to achieve herd immunity within three to four months if we receive the necessary amount of vaccine from the central government “The news agency quoted Vijayan as saying.
Kerala saw 13,550 new cases on the day the state government decided to extend the coronavirus-induced lockdown, bringing the total number of cases to 29,10,507. According to official data, the death toll has risen to 13,093 with 104 more deaths.
