·
Even as the land of coffee goes for a complete weekend lockdown, the Kodagu district administration feels that the lockdown cannot be a permanent solution to fight COVID-19 and the people need to follow more long-lasting measures against the pandemic.
After a spike in infections, a decision was taken to impose lockdown on Saturday, eventually resulting in a two-day clampdown a week with the Statewide lockdown already in place across the State.
Suggestions had come in for imposing a total lockdown as being done in some districts to control the cases.
“Lockdown cannot be a permanent solution. Cases may surface or go up after it is lifted. We need to look for permanent solutions such as change of lifestyle, maximizing safety precautions and following the SOPs such as social distancing and use of hand sanitizers for keeping the contagion away,” felt Deputy Commissioner Annies Kanmani Joy.
In a Facebook live session to elicit opinions from the public on the anti-COVID measures taken so far, Ms. Joy, in response to a question on enforcing a complete lockdown, said Kodagu’s case was different from the rest as it is dependent on Mysuru and Mangaluru for its needs and a lot of working professionals commute to these places. “We cannot keep our borders sealed for long. Moreover, lockdown cannot be a permanent solution despite suggestions for taking steps similar to other districts.”
The weekend lockdown will be in force till July 31. Restrictions are eased in the mornings for buying essentials and thereafter the public cannot go around unnecessarily. The restrictions will be lifted at 6 a.m. on Monday.
Published - July 18, 2020 05:13 pm IST
