As the number of COVID-19 cases has rapidly increased in Kerala’s capital city of Thiruvananthapuram, state authorities fear there is a chance of local transmission in Poonthura area.
On Sunday, five fresh cases were reported from Poonthura area. Earlier, a medical representative and his relative had tested positive for the novel coronavirus.
“By Sunday afternoon, we feared there were chances of local transmission in Ponthura area. In the last few days, we have increased the number of tests in the area. Since there is no point in locking down this area alone, we decided to lock down the entire corporation," Devaswom Minister Kadakampally Surendran, who is in charge of COVID-19 containment activities in Thiruvananthapuram district, said.
He also noted that after the lockdown rules were relaxed, people were going out unnecessarily, without maintaining physical distancing.
Among the 27 patients that turned positive on Sunday in Thiruvananthapuram district, 22 are through contact. With this, more than 60 cases in the district are through contact. As per reports, the source of infection of around 40 patients is not known yet. Among the 37 positive cases, six are children below 16 years old, including a one-year-old and a two-year-old.
After a merchant in Kumarichantha fish market turned positive, a few others in the market, too, turned positive on Sunday. There is also an increase in the number of COVID-19 patients in Muttathara, Manakkad and Uchakada regions.
Many others were infected from a person who had turned positive in Poonthura on Friday.
“All the markets were functioning as it functioned earlier; no regulations were followed by merchants as well as the customers. We will have to face the consequences of this," the Minister said.
Meanwhile, Thiruvananthapuram Mayor K Sreekumar said that if the situation worsens, the lockdown may be extended in the district.
On Sunday, the Kerala government had implemented complete lockdown in the district as the number of patients through contact increased. The district administration has also placed some restrictions on essential goods shops; only a limited number of such shops are allowed to function.
Thiruvananthapuram Corporation is also under triple lockdown for a week. All markets and shopping complexes under the Corporation limits have been closed.