Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan on Friday urged people to use double masking to prevent the spread of Covid-19. Reiterating that wearing 2 masks should become a habit for people when they are stepping out of their homes, Vijayan said: “Double masking does not mean use of two cloth masks. After wearing a surgical mask, a cloth mask should be used. Double masking and frequent hand hygiene would prevent the infection in a big way.” He said film stars, cultural leaders, politicians and heads of religious bodies should make interventions to enlighten people about the significance of using masks. A study by Yale University had found that such an intervention had made remarkable change in reducing virus transmission in Bangladesh, he said. He also said the studies conducted by American Journal of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene and the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences should be taken seriously at this point. Their studies have found that in various places in the world where the spread of covid-19 could be controlled, use of masks was strictly enforced. He added that if the Covid-19 situation in the state continued to remain bad, the government may consider putting in place complete lockdowns in the worst affected districts. He added that more restrictions were planned for the state to combat the rising number of cases. “There is a plan to limit the functioning of the Central and the State Government offices for essential services only. Shops selling essential items would function and restaurants would be allowed only home delivery. However, freight movement would go smoothly. There would not be restrictions for migrant workers to engage in their work in their places of stay,’’ he said. These are curbs are likely to be implemented from May 4 to May 9. However, Vijayan said the government has not decided to go in for a complete lockdown in the state so far. On Friday, Kerala reported 37,199 new cases from 1.49 lakh samples tested in the last 24 hours, taking the total active cases to 3,03,733. The test positivity rate is also at a high of 24.88 per cent.
