Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan on Saturday said the government would on Tuesday weigh an altered course of action to bridle COVID-19 and restore the economy at a stroke. The night curfew (10 p.m. to 6 a.m.) and Sunday lockdown would continue till then.
He said restoring normality was the government’s uppermost priority. Kerala had to learn to live with COVID-19. The pandemic was likely to linger well after the State achieved 100% vaccination. Blunting the pandemic was expected to be a long haul. Kerala should prepare for it. It should not slide back into pre-COVID era complacency. The mask and physical distancing mandate would endure.
Mr. Vijayan mooted hyper-local surveillance by neighbourhood watch groups and local self-government officials to ensure infected persons remained effectively quarantined. Those who broke quarantine would risk a heavy fine and prosecution. The police would forcibly move them to government shelters. The administration would charge the violators for bread, board, and medicine.
Sectoral magistrates and the police should ensure pandemic control activities at the village and municipal ward level. Local self-governments would identify areas that had fallen behind in vaccination and organise special inoculation drives. They should ensure no family in quarantine starved, lacked in medicine, and other essentials. The emphasis was on home delivery and use of volunteers to run odd jobs for quarantined families.
The police would impose strict curbs on social life, retail, and mobility in localities that reported an above 7% WIPR. As many as 81 urban and 215 rural wards were currently micro-containment zones.
Mr. Vijayan said 20 months of COVID-19 was exasperating and fatiguing. Nevertheless, the State should summon its reserves of strength to turn the tide of the battle against the pandemic.
