Only wards with over 80 cases to be declared containment zones

Corpn. requests govt. to allow all shops to open five days a week

The criterion for declaring containment zones in Kozhikode Municipal Corporation has been changed. From August 1, only wards that register more than 80 COVID cases will be declared as containment zones. The decision came at a meeting chaired by Mayor Beena Philip on Saturday, in which MLA Thottathil Raveendran, the District Collector, the District Medical Officer and other senior officials took part. Speaking to reporters after the meeting, the Mayor said the corporation had requested the State government to allow all shops to open five days a week except Saturday and Sunday. “We all have experienced the huge rush on Fridays. Opening shops and establishments for more days is the only solution to this problem,” the Mayor said. Meanwhile, in a first in the State, the corporation has taken up a mission to achieve complete vaccination in two of its wards. The Kappakkal ward that has recorded the maximum number of COVID deaths (26) in the city and the Puthiyappa ward, which has been a containment zone ever since the outbreak of COVID-19, are the two wards. “We need to study the reason behind the condition in both the wards, other than that they are coastal wards. We need to see if complete vaccination can help end issues there,” the Mayor said.