Centre asks Kerala, Maharashtra to ensure strict adherence to five-fold strategy of COVID-19 containment

Any laxity may result in further surge in transmission, Union health secretary said

ITDC INDIA EPRESS/ITDC NEWS R The Union health ministry, on Friday, has written to Kerala, which has been witnessing a high number of COVID-19 cases, and Maharashtra, asking them to ensure there is no laxity in strict adherence to the five-fold strategy of ‘test-track-treat-vaccinate and ensuring COVID appropriate behaviour’.

In a letter to Kerala chief secretary, Union health secretary Rajesh Bhushan said the state  has witnessed a "sustained and significant transmission of COVID- 19 since July 2021."

He pointed out that Kerala remains the one of the top contributors to daily new cases, with the state recording more than half the active cases of COVID- 19 in the country despite the efforts by the state government to increase testing.

"All 14 districts in Kerala have been identified as districts of concern due to high test positivity rates and high case per million reported in the past four weeks. Further, Thrissur, Kozhikode and Ernakulam have reported more than 4,000 cases per million population in the week ending 25th August, 2021," the letter read.

Considering the recent sharp increase in the number of cases, deaths and the test positivity rate after the Onam festivities and the likelihood of this trend continuing for a few more days, the health ministry asked the state to define containment zones as per guidelines, with a special focus on the high transmission clusters. Such zones need to be re-defined if the proportion of cases being reported outside of containment zones is showing an increase, the letter said.