Looking beyond the 21-day lockdown that is set to conclude on April 14, the district administration in Thiruvananthapuram has commenced steps to equip itself for a possible extension of the restrictions.
Seven hotspots
Designated one among the seven COVID-19 hotspots in the State, the district could witness only a partial lifting of the prevailing restrictions to ensure proper containment of the pandemic in line with the advisory of the Union Health Ministry.
Devaswom Minister Kadakampally Surendran, who has been spearheading the containment measures in the district, said the State capital has currently stocked up on essential commodities that could last for at least two months. “There is adequate stock of various products in our godowns, including those run by the Food Corporation of India (FCI), that could be distributed during any such eventuality” he said.
District Collector K. Gopalakrishnan added that constant liaison was being maintained with the Kanyakumari district administration to ensure the unhindered flow of essential commodities and perishables from across the border. Around 250 goods vehicles have been coming from Tamil Nadu daily on an average basis since the lockdown commenced, he said.
In view of the need to maintain heightened alert, the district authorities have identified more locations that could be utilised as quarantine facilities. The administration has identified over 25,000 additional beds that are ready to be occupied in hospitals across the district. Besides, the spaces for accommodating another 25,000 beds have also been located in auditoriums and other places, Mr. Gopalakrishnan added.
Screening efforts
The screening efforts have been boosted by the transportation of 2,000 real-time polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) test kits and 1,000 personal protective equipment (PPE) kits that were procured using funds sanctioned by Shashi Tharoor, MP. More consignments of the test kits and PPE kits were expected to be delivered soon, the official said.