Consistent increase in COVID-19 cases in the last one month And the significant number of COVID-related deaths has made Kerala re-enforce the mask mandate in the state.
In a circular issued on June 22 to all district police chiefs, the Additional Director General of Police (Law and Order) has said that the mandate issued by the Chief Secretary on April 27 to make masks mandatory in public places should be compulsorily implemented. That the violation of the mandate under the Disaster Management Act and other relevant laws in the State shall be punishable.
Kerala’s COVID-19 case graph was consistently low for more than a week with nearly 300 new cases per day and active cases falling below the 3,000-mark after the government on April 7 decided to revoke all COVID-related restrictions on the citizenry. issued orders. Life
A GO was issued on April 27, making masks mandatory again in public places, workplaces and in transport, when the emergence of the sub-variant of Omicron led to a spurt in cases across the country.
There has been a steady increase in COVID-19 cases in the state since the last week of May. If the active cases in the last week of May were between 3,000-4,000, the number of active cases in the state till June 27 is 27,218. With over 151 deaths in the month of June alone (till June 27), the death rate related to COVID is also witnessing a significant increase.
Even when all COVID-related restrictions on civilian life were revoked, all COVID protocols including use of masks, sanitizers and physical distancing were never withdrawn in the State. However, compliance has been further relaxed, especially since the authorities have stopped checking and levying fines.
The current surge in cases is directly linked to the resumption of mass interactions and indoor gatherings of people and the fact that people have a very relaxed attitude about using masks or maintaining physical distancing. The fatigue of the pandemic and the fact that vaccination has given people a false sense of security cannot be discounted.
However, public health experts say that vaccines do not prevent infection and will only help reduce the severity of the infection. Omicron seems to only cause a mild infection, this is what people have taken to heart. However, recent studies suggest that re-infections are not always mild and the long-term impact of repeated infections remains to be studied, he said.