The Kozhikode district administration has imposed strict lockdown in wards where the weekly infection population ratio (WIPR) is above 8.
The Deputy Collector (Disaster Management) has ordered that such wards be barricaded preventing movement of people from them to outside and vice versa. The main roads in the wards will be blocked. Residents shall not come out of their homes except for emergency medical needs or for purchasing essentials. They could seek the help of rapid response teams (RRTs) if they need supplies from outside the ward. The restrictions are not applicable to vehicles sanctioned by the Health Department for observation and testing.
Those who have been tested positive for SARS-CoV-2 as well as those who have been in contact with them have been asked to go into quarantine, and the secretaries of local bodies and the local police have to ensure it.
Medical officers and secretaries of the local bodies concerned have to ensure that everyone in the wards under lockdown undergo COVID-19 test in a week. All shops, except those selling food and medicines, will remain closed, while hotels will be allowed to provide home delivery. Akshaya centres shall function from 7 a.m. to 2 p.m.
On the other hand, restaurants in other wards have been allowed to remain open for half an hour more (up to 10 p.m.) for cleaning purposes.
Meanwhile, the district recorded 3,680 COVID-19 cases on Wednesday when 16,453 people were tested. The test positivity rate (TPR) has reached 22.7%. District Medical Officer V. Jayashree said 3,615 of the new cases were through local transmission, while the source is unknown in 53 cases. Two who travelled from abroad recently, four from other States, and six health workers are also among the newly infected. As 2,426 persons were discharged from treatment facilities in the district, the active caseload on Wednesday was 26,745. There are also 74,137 persons under observation.
The wards under lockdown from Thursday are 2,4, 5, 20 and 26 of Koyilandy Municipality; wards 24, 8, 11, 30, 26, 1, 7, 17, 15, 13, 20, and 10 of Mukkom Municipality; Ward 20 of Vadakara; wards 30, 31, 32, 26, 23, 21, and 28 of Payyoli; wards 31, 13, 2, and 14 of Ramanattukara; wards 24, 17, and 9 of Feroke; wards 23, 1, 34, and 15 of Koduvally, and Ward 3 of the Kozhikode Corporation, besides all wards in Koorachundu, Kayanna and Koodaranhi grama panchayats.
