Panchayats in Ernakulam already in lockdown mood

74 out of the 82 local bodies are containment zones

The government decision to impose a week-long State-wide lockdown from Saturday has come as a mere formality for the majority of panchayats in the district as 74 out of the 82 panchayats are already containment zones with strict restrictions in place. Some of them like the coastal panchayat of Mulavukad had even decided to go for a full-fledged local lockdown from Thursday evening, for which they had already received approval from the district administration. As COVID-19 cases continue to soar, local bodies are now focusing their energies on increasing the number of tests and readying domicile care centres (DCCs) to ease the burden on healthcare facilities. “We are nearing the completion of a DCC at Bolgatty Palace with 50-odd oxygen-supported beds. We have also recruited a few nursing staff for the centre. The number of patients in the panchayat as of Wednesday stands at 257 and the spread seems to have been largely triggered by the quarantine violations of the infected or their family members. Lockdown is likely to contain this,” said V.S. Akbar, Mulavukad panchayat president.