Thiruvananthapuram: The Kerala Government has tightened restrictions in more districts on Thursday, in the view of the extreme COVID-19 spread in the state. Idukki, Pathanamthitta, Kottayam and Kollam were placed under ‘C’ category, along with Thiruvananthapuram, following the surge in cases and hospitalisations in these districts.
A decision regarding this was taken at the COVID-19 review meeting held here on Thursday. No public programmes will be permitted in districts placed under C category. Theatres, gyms and swimming pools will be shut. Places of worship will have to switch to online mode. A district will come under the ‘C’ category if over 25% of total patients admitted in hospitals are COVID-19 cases. Tight restrictions are imposed in ‘C’ category districts.
The government assessed that the restrictions, which were enforced by putting districts in various categories, has turned out to be very effective and the public is cooperating well with the restrictions imposed on the crowd movements. In Idukki, Pathanamthitta and Kottayam districts, the number of COVID-19 patients have gone up by above 20%. In Kottayam, 826 patients are under hospital treatment as per the figures available till Wednesday. The number of total patients went up to 21,249. Of the total number of 12,434 COVID-19 cases in Pathanamthitta, 677 are under hospital treatment. More than half of the COVID-19 beds allotted are currently occupied in the district.
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About 377 in-patients have been reported from Idukki district where hospital facilities are less. Only 17 ICU beds and 29 oxygen beds are kept apart for COVID-19 treatment here. At present, COVID-19 patients have occupied 36 such beds. The number of COVID cases is rising in Kozhikode, where restrictions have not been enforced in recent times, and in Malappuram, which is in Category A. A new report available with the State Government estimates that an average of 50,000 COVID-19 cases could be expected daily in the State till February 6.
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The decision to classify districts divided into three categories – A, B and C, based on the intensity of the virus spread was taken during the last COVID-19 review meeting held on January 21. Category C areas are those where the spread of the disease is severe and more than a quarter admissions in hospitals are COVID-19 patients.
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