The district administration has banned public events in Kozhikode in view of the daily test positivity rate (TPR) for COVID-19 rising above 30% for three consecutive days.
District Collector N. Tej Lohit Reddy told the media that sectoral magistrates have been asked to control the crowd in public places, vehicles and restaurants.
This restriction will also apply to religious events. Self regulation will be mandatory. The officers of the Regional Transport Office will inspect the congested vehicles. Mr Reddy said that passengers standing in buses would not be allowed and vehicle owners should ensure the same.
On Monday, 2,043 people tested positive for the virus and the daily TPR stood at 32.67%.
All government, semi-government and cooperative institutions, public sector undertakings and autonomous bodies will have to organize meetings and events online. The district police chief has been asked to take steps to control the flow of visitors to beaches, eateries, restaurants and shopping malls.
Hotels and restaurants will not be allowed to take more than 50% of their seating capacity. Kozhikode city police had started controlling people who thronged shopping malls and beaches on Sunday to control the crowd.
Meanwhile, the district witnessed a three-fold increase in the number of officially infected persons in a week. Only 740 and 561 people had tested positive for the virus on January 9 and January 10 respectively. In a week, it has now gone up to over 2,000. The daily TPR, which stood at 13.33% on January 10, has also gone up. District Medical Officer V. Umar Farooq urged people to ensure social distancing, wearing of face masks and hand hygiene to avoid infection. Those above 15 years of age should compulsorily self-vaccinate. He said that overcrowding should be avoided at any cost.
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