On Sunday, Kerala reported 435 cases of COVID-19 and 132 recoveries. There have also been two deaths of people infected with the coronavirus. There are now 3,745 active cases in the state.
Out of the new cases, 206 people contracted the disease through contact - continuing a worrying trend observed in the last few days when unlike before, more infections were from people who returned to the state from outside.
This has forced several parts of the state to have strict regulations in place, including Thiruvananthapuram city, which had been under triple lockdown all of last week.
Thiruvananthapuram city (all areas under the Corporation) will continue to be under strict lockdown from July 13, for one week. Some exemptions have been made for several government offices, along with extended timings for shops.
Among the government offices in the city (excluding the wards of Poonthura, Puthenpally and Mankiyavilakam), offices of all ministers, the Speaker and the Chief Secretary will be open.
Offices of secretaries to government, of the department of Home, Disaster Management, Health, Local Self Government and NORKA will function with a maximum of 50% staff.
All other departments, of Secretariat and Directorates of government, may function with minimal staff. Government press shall also be open.
Defence, central armed police forces, treasury, public utilities (including petroleum, CNG, LPG, PNG and telecom post offices), airport and railway station will also function.
Local self-government institution with staff for essential services, health department, water and electricity, and treasury, will work.
Additional activities such as the construction of basic infrastructure, agriculture, IT services in Technopark with essential staff, taxies and auto-rickshaws maintaining COVID-19 protocol, media offices with minimum staff and banking services with 50% staff shall be allowed.
However, no door delivery of any item, except medicine or food from Janakiya Hotels, is allowed.
Movement of people within or out of the city limits will not be permitted except in cases of medical emergency or getting essential goods and services.
Grocery shops, bakeries and milk booths will be open from 7 am to 12 pm and 4 pm to 6 pm for customers. They can open from 1 pm to 3 pm for stocking.
Transit through national highways will be permitted with the condition that no one will stop in containment zones.
Night curfew in Thiruvananthapuram will be from 9 pm to 5 am.
Triple lockdown will be imposed in critical containment zones of Kerala's coastal areas from July 13 to July 23. This includes the following wards:
> Thiruvananthapuram - Manikyavilakam, Poonthura, Puthenpally
> Kollam - Chavara, Panmana
> Alappuzha - Pattanakkadu, Kadakkarapally, Cherthala South, Mararikkulam North, Kodamthuruthu, Kuthiyathody, Thuravoor, Aarattupuzha
> Ernakulam - Chellanam
> Malappuram - Veliyamkodu, Perumbadappa, Ponnani municipality, Thanoor municipality.
Some of these wards had already been under triple lockdown following a spike in the cases.
Families in the critical containment zones of coastal areas will be provided with five kilograms of rice each. Shops selling essentials in these areas can collect their stock from 7 am to 9 am and sell from 10 am to 6 pm. Shops selling milk can function from 5 am to 10 am and 4 pm to 6 pm.
Travel will not be allowed between 7 pm and 5 am. A rapid response team, including employees of the revenue, police and health departments, will be active in these zones all the time.
Buildings for reverse quarantine will be arranged for those who need to stay away from home due to lack of facilities.