With experts predicting a spurt in COVID-19 cases after the local body elections, the Health Department has called for strict compliance with the protocol to ward off any threat when Kozhikode district goes to the polls on Monday. As many as 612 people tested positive for the virus in the district on Sunday and the test positivity rate reached 14.32%.
District Medical Officer V. Jayasree said in a release that voters, polling agents, and officials should wear their face masks properly. Hands should be sanitised regularly and physical distancing should be observed. Face masks should not be lowered until the voters reach home after exercising their franchise. It would be better to keep their own pen to sign the voting register. Children should not be brought near the polling booths. Those who return home after voting should change their clothes and take a bath.
The guidelines were issued against the backdrop of the general sense of easiness prevalent among the people. Physical distancing norms and COVID-19 protocol were found to have been violated at many places in the last phase of campaign for the local body polls. In Kozhikode Corporation limits, there was an instance of political activists almost coming to blows. Health experts foresee a spike in the infections a couple of weeks from now.
Those testing positive for the virus between 3 p.m. on December 13 and 6 p.m. on the voting day can directly reach the polling booth to cast their votes. They should reach there before 6 p.m. and produce a certificate from a designated health officer. Wearing of personal protection equipment (PPE) is a must for these special voters, polling agents, and officials at the time of voting.
Meanwhile, 598 of the total number of cases reported on Sunday were locally acquired infections. The source of infection of seven others was not known. Kozhikode Corporation had 165 cases of local transmission, Puthuppady 39, Chelannur 28, and Kodanchery 23. As many as 4,273 samples were tested in labs. There were 686 recoveries and the active caseload from the district stands at 6,584.