Thiruvananthapuram: As Kerala battles an abrupt surge in the number of people suffering from COVID-19, Health Minister K K Shailaja has alerted about the continuing risk as more and more people arrive in the state, especially from neighbouring states that have huge caseload.
"The COVID-19 has spread alarmingly in Tamil Nadu. A lot of people come to Kerala for business purposes. People should be cautious while interacting with those coming from other states that have been severely affected,” she explained in the backdrop of spike in COVID-19 cases especially at Poonthura in Thiruvananthapuram.
"By using masks and following social distancing norms, we can reduce the spread of infection to a large extent. The 251 cases in Thiruvananthapuram were reported in the past 28 days. This is because of local transmission. The infection is spreading from one person to several others," Shailaja noted.
Elderly likely to be secured
The dense Poonthura suburb of Thiruvananthapuram city is already under a triple lockdown as community transmission of the pandemic is feared.
As the COVID-19 clusters at Kumarichantha and Poonthura worsened the overall situation in Thiruvananthapuram, the setting up of a safe centre for elderly people in the locality was also under consideration.
The minister also appealed to the people to stay home as much as possible. “Home is the safest place,” she asserted.
Kochi, Alappuzha situation
Regarding the situation elsewhere in the state, the Health Minister said that the spread of the viral disease in the Kochi market could also be because of people from other states.
The health department is also checking into two COVID-19 cases in Alappuzha district with no known source of infection. On Thursday, coronavirus infection was confirmed in a newly-wed woman who allegedly committed suicide at Chennithala.
The department is also checking into the reported infection at Pullinkunnu in the Kuttanadu region. It is suspected that the infection spread via the Kayamkulam market, the minister added.
