Having been included in Category C with a sharp spike in COVID-19 cases, the authorities have clamped down more restrictions on public life in Kottayam and Pathanamthitta districts.
In separate orders issued by the Kottayam District Collector P.K. Jayasree and the Pathanamthitta District Collector Divya S. Iyer, major restrictions have been imposed on public gatherings. Only a maximum of 20 people will be allowed to attend weddings and funerals while the cinemas , swimming pools and gyms will be closed down. Religious events will have to be conducted online only.
All classes except final year undergraduate and postgraduate courses besides Class 10 and Plus Two will be held online for one week. Residential educational institutions that operate on a bio-bubble model are excepted from this order.
As many as 3,834 persons tested positive for COVID-19 in Kottayam on Thursday while 3,275 persons recovered from the disease. With 530 fresh cases, Kottayam municipality reported the highest number of cases, followed by Changanassery with 144 cases. The district presently has 21,808 active cases.
In view of the rising number of cases, the authorities have decided to deploy 404 more health workers for the pandemic prevention activities through the National Health Mission.
Three deaths
Pathanamthitta , meanwhile, reported 2,063 cases and 770 recoveries during the day. The district also reported three deaths in connection with the pandemic.
District Medical Officer L. Anithakumari said only 125 out of the 390 beds across the CFLTCs and CSLTCs have been occupied presently. Of the 125 beds across the four COVID-19 hospitals, only 69 are occupied while 44 out of the 59 ICU beds are vacant. Forty-seven ventilator units are also available.
Of the 776 beds in private hospitals, 324 are in use. Of the 56 ventilators, 10 are in use and 50 of the 133 ICU beds are occupied currently.
