Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan, briefing media, said here on Monday that the government had decided to impose triple lockdown in the city Corporation limits as the steady increase in cases acquired from the community could have serious consequences, including “community transmission”.

He said the capital city was especially in a vulnerable position because of the presence of many government offices and the Secretariat, which was visited daily by people from all across the State, who could unknowingly transmit the infection far and wide.

Proximity to T.N.

Being the border district to Tamil Nadu did not help at all as several people travelled across the border every day for work or health care.

One fish vendor in Poonthura alone has been confirmed as having transmitted the disease to nine people and possibly many more, he said. Mr. Vijayan said that till May 3, the capital district had only 17 COVID-19 cases, of which 12 were imported ones. Since May 4, the district has had 277 positive cases, of which 61 have been cases of local transmission.