The Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan informed that community spread has occurred in two places in the coastal areas of Thiruvananthapuram district. Poonthura, Pulluvilla and its nearby places have seen a rapid increase in the number of contact cases.

“We are moving to the next stage. There will be more restrictions in the capital district, which has a serious outbreak of the disease. Of the 246 positive cases in the district today, only two came from abroad. 237 cases were due to contact. Four healthcare workers were also infected and the source of three cases are unknown. This is an unusual situation. A total lockdown will be implemented in the coastal areas from tomorrow. To implement this effectively, the coastline was divided into three zones. The first zone is from Anchuthengu to Perumatura. The second zone is from Perumatura to Vizhinjam and the third zone is from Vizhinjam to Urampu. A special police force has been set up to control the situation. IAS officers have been designated as Incident Commanders. The District Disaster Management Authority will announce the lockdown guidelines”, the CM said.

The preventive measures will be taken jointly by the health department, police, corporation and panchayats. The services of Janamaithri police officers will also be utilized for the implementation of this system. The work of setting up the First-Line Treatment Centers is being completed expeditiously.

The CM also added, “There will be only cluster-based lockdown now and we are no thinking of full lockdown. I can assure you that the situation is as expected and we are prepared to handle it. We were able to contain the spread till now.”