Kerala to seal all inter-State borders

Significant rise in fresh COVID-19 cases in districts such as Idukki

Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan has directed the police to seal all inter-State borders to discourage the active movement of people between Kerala, Karnataka and Tamil Nadu.

Chairing a meeting of District Collectors and District Police Chiefs by video link on Sunday, Mr. Vijayan reportedly flagged the up and down travel through the porous boundary Kerala shared with neighbouring States as a significant cause for fresh COVID-19 flare-ups in border districts such as Idukki.

He said Tamil Nadu was in the middle of an intense lockdown in five districts from April 26 to April 29. They included Coimbatore and Tirupur, which shared a common frontier with Kerala. Hence, it was essential for the police to seal the borders of Kerala tightly.

Law enforcers should sanitise cargo vehicles at borders, and examine drivers and crew for COVID-19 symptoms. He made temperature checks at border checks posts mandatory.

The police had earlier told the government that tightening of lockdown restrictions had spawned a mafia that moved people between States and districts for cash. The racketeers had contracted a network of ambulance, cargo and container lorry drivers to facilitate the illegal act.

An official said some persons living on properties straddling inter-State borders helped the racket and used the same method and routes to smuggle bootleg liquor and other contraband.

State Police Chief Loknath Behera had attended the conference. He reportedly mooted a slew of measures to prevent the illegal movement of people, including the formation of special squads informed by aerial surveillance drones to interdict the movement of people across steep terrain.

An official said the police would halt the up and down travel through inter-State railway lines, unconventional border paths, forest trails, plantation areas and even the sea route.

Mr. Vijayan asked the police to ensure that people in hotspots remained indoors. They should secure such neighbourhoods and guarantee food, medicines, and essential supplies reached households. High-risk localities should have only entry and exit points.

He said there were reports that people had crowded for prayers at some mosques to partake in Ramzan prayers. The government could not allow such congregations in the interest of public safety, he said.