The Kerala police department has registered 402 cases against people for breaking the shutdown regulations, following the state's first day of complete lockdown as a preventive measure against the spread of COVID-19.
It was on Monday night that the Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan declared that Kerala will go into a complete lockdown from Tuesday. Later on Tuesday night, Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced a countrywide lockdown for 21 days as well.
Though a majority confined to their homes, not everyone in the state abided by the regulations. Many streets and roads across Kerala were seen to be occupied by people despite the guidance that only emergency vehicles should be out on roads.
Thiruvananthapuram City registered the most cases, with 121 people being booked for violating the regulations, followed by Kollam rural with 68 cases.
While the whole Idukki district in total registered 48 cases, 47 people in Ernakulam city alone were booked on Tuesday. Twenty two cases were registered in the rural areas of Ernakulam, while 24 people in Alappuzha district and 20 in Thrissur were booked for breaking the lockdown orders and coming out onto the streets.
Notably, no cases were registered in Pathanamthitta district and Kozhikode rural area. But regions like Thrissur rural and Palakkad district registered one cases each, Kozhikode city and Kollam city registered two cases, Wayanad 13 cases, 10 cases in Kannur district, five in Kasaragod, six in Malappuram.
With the first day of lockdown facing hurdles, the state police chief on Tuesday said that regulations would be much stricter from Wednesday onwards and that there would be severe action against those violating it. From Wednesday, those venturing out onto the streets will have to carry an affidavit declaring where they are going and their complete address with vehicle’s details. The affidavit should be given to police during the check-ups on roads.
As of March 24 night, 105 people are under treatment in the state.
Meanwhile, a 54-year-old domestic passenger was arrested at the Cochin International Airport Limited (CIAL) for allegedly refusing to follow instructions given by doctors for prevention of the spread of novel coronavirus, police said on Tuesday.
Lami Arackal from Ernakulam, who landed from Chennai at the Cochin International Airport at Nedumbassery on Monday night, was arrested based on a complaint from health officials, they said.
He was, however, later released on bail.
Arackal allegedly refused to wear a mask and follow other instructions to be observed by the passengers coming from other states as part of the measures to check COVID-19 spread. He also allegedly misbehaved with the medical officers, police said.
(With inputs from PTI)
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