Reeling under 40% TPR, Kerala categorises district into A,B,C category

With the test positivity rate (TPR) touching a whopping 40 percent in Kerala, the state government has introduced new norms for imposing restrictions and bringing the spread of the virus under control. In addition to the high TPR, the state also has more than 2 lakh active cases of Coronavirus which is emerging as a big challenge. The recent norms introduced by the state government is the third instance during the pandemic that the government has revised its strategy to tackle the virus.

Kerala new norms

The government has decided to categorise the 14 districts in the state into three categories-A, B and C- on the basis of the spread of the disease and the cases load on the hospitals in the district. The government has also said that on the next two Sundays, lockdown like restrictions will be imposed across the state which means all non-essential services will remain closed on the lockdown days.

The government clarified that except on the next two Sundays, all activities including business, shopping, tourism, hotel, among others will continue to operate in the state without any restrictions in compliance with the Covid-19 norms. On every Friday, the district disaster management authority headed by the District Collector will take a call on the categorisation of the district from among the three categories-A,B and C.

Criteria for categorisation

A category: Any district where the rate of admission into hospitals has doubled from that registered on January 1 will qualify under A category. A district which has registered more than 50 percent occupancy rate of the ICU facility will also be categorised into A category. In such districts all personal, cultural, political and social activities will only be permitted with a tab of maximum 50 people.

B category: In such districts, more than 10 percent of patients admitted into the hospitals must be Covid-19 patients. Also the districts where the rate of patients admission into Covid-19 ICU wards doubles from that observed on January 1 will also be categorised into B category. In such districts, no political, social, religious events will be allowed till further restrictions. Also, only marriages and posthumous events will be allowed in such districts with a maximum attendance of 20 people.

C category: The districts where more than a quarter admissions into hospitals are of Coronavirus patients, will be categorised into C zone. In such districts no public, social, political or cultural events will be allowed. In addition, theaters, gyms and swimming pools will also remain shut till further orders. In such districts, the government will also impose restrictions on educational institutions and all classes except final year graduates, post graduated and Class 10th, Class 12th will be held online. As of now no district has been categorised into C zone.