Kerala announces fresh restrictions as one out of four tested turns out to be infected

Kerala chief minister Pinarayi Vijayan on Thursday announced further restrictions from May 4 (Tuesday) to May 9 (Sunday) in view of the steady increase in Covid-19 cases. The state already has a weekend lockdown, and the new restrictions include a ban on outdoor and indoor shooting of serial, cinema and documentaries.

The chief minister requested people to practice a self-lockdown as he was not keen to impose a full-fledged lock-down.

The State on Thursday reported 38,607 new Covid-19 cases from 1,57,548 sample tests, indicating a positivity rate of 24.5%. The state also reported 48 Covid deaths.


Priority for second dose vaccine:
The Chief Minister said those who are eligible for the second dose of the vaccine will get priority. “There is no need to rush to Covid vaccination centres for this. The second dose of Covishield vaccine should be taken within 6 to 8 weeks and Covaxin within 4 to 6 weeks. The slot for the first dose will be allowed for online booking only after giving preference to those taking the second dose,” he said.

Vaccinating the vast majority of people over the age of 60 in the first phase of the Covid outbreak has helped reduce mortality in the State. “We have been able to successfully implement early vaccination and this is the reason why the mortality rate is not rising proportionately despite the current rapid spread of the disease. This fact underscores the importance of the goal of getting the vaccine to as many people as possible” he added.