KOCHI: The raging sea and  Covid spread have brought life in the coastal hamlet of Chellanam here to a standstill. The fishermen here have not ventured into the sea for the past two months and the loss of livelihood has made the residents desperate. Though there have been minor variations on this count, the Covid graph of the village is not falling.

On Wednesday, the village reported six positive cases which is a tad lower than the tally of the day before when 11 people tested positive. “The situation has definitely improved as there are no fresh cases in  wards 15,16 and 17. Nonetheless, there is a  spike in wards 12,18 and 21. There was a death in the densely populated Gunduparambu area. A plumber and a bakery owner  in the area  became infected which worsened the situation.

We are following the Covid protocol strictly and have sensitised the residents about the need to remain alert,” said  K D Prasad, vice-president, panchayat  .Though the sea remains calm and there’s respite from sea erosion, the fishermen are not allowed to resume fishing activities. The government has authorised the district collector to decide on resuming fishing activities. However as the Covid situation continues to remain grim, the authorities have decided to wait.