Thiruvananthapuram: The Kerala Government Medical Officers’ Association (KGMOA) has recommended lockdown for 2 weeks in the state due to the rapid surge in the number of Covid infections.  The KGMOA also wanted more health workers to be engaged in Covid preventive measures. The KGMOA requested for this in a letter sent to the chief secretary.

The situation in Kerala is grim and hence a lockdown is recommended for 2 weeks to curtail the spread, the association said.

Various studies show that transmission of infections is air borne and hence people moving out will increase the spread of the disease.  Moreover, Kerala is witnessing a test positivity rate of 25 percent and this poses a danger mark. This shows that the number of people getting infections may rise exponentially, the KGMOA said.

Earlier, even IMA had recommended lockdown. And now, the only service organization representing all categories of the doctors in Health Service also endorsed it.

KGMOA also points out that only critically ill patients need to be admitted in hospitals and the state is witnessing shortage of healthcare workers.

KGMOA in the letter forwarded to the chief secretary also wants the government to mention the number of ICU beds in government hospitals.

Chief minister Pinarayi Vijayan had made it clear on Wednesday that lockdown would be implemented in the state only as a  last resort.

“The numbers of Covid-infected people and the rate of the disease spread continues unabated. There is the presence of the genetically mutant virus (double mutant variant) on a large scale. There has been a 255 per cent increase in the active cases in Kerala in the last two weeks. The situation across the state is grim,” Pinarayi had said.

  kgmoa