Curfew will be imposed in places under five police station limits in Kerala's northern district of Kasaragod from Saturday midnight to contain coronavirus transmission in the district.
District Collector D Sajith Babu declared the curfew in an order issued on Saturday, July 25. The curfew will be in effect till further orders.
The curfew will be in place in the areas under Manjeswaram, Kumbala, Kasaragod, Hosdurg and Neeleswaram police station limits.
Only shops that sell essentials are allowed to be open on alternate days, from 11 am to 5pm.
“Public transport including auto and taxi services are banned in the regions. Gathering at public places will not be allowed. People shouldn't commute unnecessarily. Wearing of masks, use of sanitiser and keeping physical distancing should be strictly followed,” reads the order issued by the Collector.
Kasaragod reported 106 COVID-19 cases on Friday followed by Thiruvananthapuram with 167 and Kollam with 133.
The total of active COVID-19 cases in the state stood at 16,995 on Friday, with 885 new cases added on the day. Kasargode also reported one COVID-19 death on Friday. The deceased is 48-year-old Khyarunnisa, a native of Anakur.
Kasaragod in March, when the pandemic was spreading across the country, had become the epicenter of the COVID-19 outbreak in the state, witnessing a steady increase in cases. The district at the time saw 81 cases in a little more than a week. This was over 49 percent of the total cases of the state at the time. Kerala then was reporting less than 50 new cases in a day.
The district entered a lockdown on March 22, three days ahead of the nationwide lockdown declared by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in the country. Strict restrictions were put in place in the district to prevent community transmission.