'Smart lockdown, strict containment: Centre's strategy to fix covid crisis in Kerala

New Delhi, Sep 01: Amid the growing concern over, COVID-19 situation in Kerala, the centre has reportedly said that strict containment and lockdown measures must to curb the pandemic from spreading further.

According to the reports, the centre has suggested that the state needs a strategic and smart containment, including a night curfew only in view of festivities to break chain of transmission like it happened in Delhi.

There is no other way but to lock down areas where infection rate is high. The test positivity rate is high and cases can only come down if strict lockdown is implemented," News 18 reported quoting sources.

"There is hesitancy to impose lockdown and strategic containment measures for reducing transmission intensity even as the small coastal state is contributing to over three-fourth of the new daily COVID-19 cases in the country," a government source told PTI.

With over 85 per cent of the coronavirus patients being in home isolation, there is a greater need for implementing stricter containment measures.

In several areas, home isolation guidelines are not being followed properly which is leading to the spread of infection, the sources pointed out.

"The COVID-19 test positivity rate is high in Kerala, going over 20 per cent in some districts which is evidence of intense virus circulation. As the state is following home quarantine as the key strategy, wider containment and strategic lockdown needs to be implemented to contain the transmission of the disease, especially in view of festivals," the source said.

According to experts, if Kerala adopts strict containment measures, the cases can come down substantially within two weeks.

Kerala, hailed globally for its handling of the pandemic has been recording over 30,000 fresh cases in a day, while the country's total cases stands over 40.000.

The southern state has been reporting more than 10,000 new cases every day for more than a month even as other states witnessed a drop in daily surge.

The COVID-19 test positivity rate is high in Kerala, going over 20 per cent in some districts which is an evidence of intense virus circulation.

On Wednesday, Kerala reported 32,803 new Covid cases and 173 deaths which pushed the total infection count to 40,90,036 and the fatalities to 20,961.