With 925 new covid cases, active tally nears 10k-mark

KOCHI: The district on Saturday reported 925 new Covid cases, 759 of them through local transmission, with eight health workers also figuring among the newly-infected. The source of infection in the case of 123 patients remains unknown.As many as 30 returnees from other states are among those who tested positive for the virus. Meanwhile, 402 Covid patients recovered from the illness and got discharged.

Around 247 patients are under treatment in  Government Medical College Hospital, Kalamassery, and 35 at PVS Hospital, Kaloor. Another 747 are under treatment at various private hospitals in the district.In all, 9,952 patients are under treatment for Covid at various hospitals and Covid First-Line Treatment Centres (CFLTCs) in the district. Health officials said around 6,165 patients are undergoing home treatment. 

Special executive magistrates to enforce protocol
Kochi: In a bid to tackle the surge in Covid-19 cases in Ernakulam, District Collector S Suhas on Saturday issued an order appointing gazetted officers of various departments as ‘special executive magistrates’, giving them powers to take necessary steps to monitor and strictly enforce the containment measures. The appointments have been validated by evoking relevant sections under the Disaster Management Act. The officers shall focus on the Break the Chain campaign or SMS (Social distancing, Masks, Sanitising), quarantine and isolation, protocol compliance in gatherings, micro-containment measures, reverse quarantine, and the adherence to protocol in shops, markets, and commercial establishments. They can also invoke their power to arrest or penalise those who flout containment measures.

Section 144 in Ernakulam for a month
District Collector S Suhas on Saturday clamped prohibitory orders under Section 144 of the CrPC on the district in the wake of the spike in the number of Covid cases and to provide more teeth for stricter enforcement of the Covid protocol. Gathering of more than five persons, except in the case of specified occasions, has been banned for a month starting from Saturday. The move by the district administration follows a careful evaluation of the caseload and quarantine cases in 40 grama panchayats, seven municipalities and one corporation. As per the order,  the Covid protocol, which includes social distancing, use of facemasks and  washing hands repeatedly, should be strictly adhered to.