Local bodies urged to step up COVID containment measures

Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan
Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan

Thiruvananthapuram: Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan said that neighbourhood observation committees will be set up in local bodies with the help of volunteers and residents associations.

He was speaking at a meeting of local-body officials that was also attended by the minister concerned, MV Govindan, Health Minister Veena George, Revenue Minister K Rajan and chief secretary VP Joy among others.

Stressing on the importance of ensuring containment measures locally, the chief minister said that elected representatives and officials should intervene in the process as they did during the first wave.

The chief minister has claimed that even while the Test Positivity Rate had ranged between 18 and 20 percent the state managed to keep the death rate under 0.5%.

It has been decided to do testing at the airport on returnees from countries where COVID variants are widespread.

On Friday the state logged 29,322 cases and 131 deaths, taking the total affected to 41,51,455 and the toll to 21,280. At least 1,405 cases for violation of COVID-19 health protocol were registered on the day. Besides, there were 8,508 incidents of not wearing masks and 85 cases were registered for violating quarantine guidelines in the state.

Health Minister Veena George, while giving out the figures of infections and deaths earlier, said there are 296 regions under various local self-government bodies with over seven percent Weekly Infection Population Ratio (WIPR).

74% citizens vaccinated
Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan said that the state has given the first dose of COVID-19 vaccination to 74% of persons while 24% have also received the second shots.

The first-dose vaccination among health workers and frontline warriors is 100% complete while 86% of them have also been given the second dose.

Special vaccination camps have been announced for local bodies where the numbers are low.

Ensure quarantine norms
The meeting also decided to enforce quarantine and isolation norms. Those found to have violated home quarantine should be shifted by the respective local bodies to the quarantine facilities at their own expense. Those who do not have facilities for home quarantine have been urged to move to CFLTCs.

The ward-level committees have been instructed to ensure medicines and other essential items in containment zones. The chief minister also said that the state will meet the expenses incurred by the local bodies.

 

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