Stringent lockdown in five local body wards

Stringent lockdown measures will be imposed from Thursday in five local body wards where the weekly infection population ratio (WIPR) is above 8%, District Collector Navjot Khosa has said.

Wards 35 (Pariyaram) and 36 (Chirakkani) in Nedumangad municipality, and Wards 24 (Fort), 32 (Olathanni) and 40 (Alummoodu) in Neyyatinkara municipality will be under lockdown, the Collector has said.

The WIPR is as high as 20.71 in Chirakkani, Nedumangad municipality. It is below 12 in all the four places. Essential services could function from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. in the five wards.

Infection rate

An increase in the infection rate has prompted the district administration to declare containment zones/micro-containment zones in nine other wards.

They are the Vettucaud and Medical College wards in Thiruvananthapuram Corporation; Wards 6 and 23 in Varkala municipality; Ward 5 of Nennniyode panchayat; Ward 3 of Pulimath panchayat. Radhakrishna Lane in Ward 32, and the Yatheemkhana Road-Azeez Nagar stretch in Ward 84 of Thiruvananthapuram Corporation; and the Valsalyam Old Age Home area in Varkala municipality have been declared micro-containment zones.

Shops selling provisions, fruits and vegetables, milk and milk products, fish and meat, and bakeries, could remain open from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. This is applicable to shops selling cattle and poultry feed and pet food. Ration shops, Maveli stores, Milma booths and Supplyco outlets could stay open till 5 p.m. Restaurants can function from 7 a.m. to 7.30 p.m. for home delivery of food. Dine-in, take-away are not permitted.

The stringent lockdown imposed in the Melattingal ward of Attingal municipality has been eased with the infection rate showing a decline. Alamcode and Palace wards in Attingal municipality have been excluded from the list of containment zones with the COVID-19 spread brought under control.

Daily count in district

The district reported 1,255 new COVID-19 cases and 1,169 recoveries on Wednesday. The test positivity rate stood at 8.8%. In all, 10,106 people are under treatment and 33,274 in quarantine in the district. Of the new cases, contact transmission accounted for 1,152 cases. The list also included two health workers