Positivity Rate Up As Isolation Protocols Not Enforced: Kerala High Court

The court said the problem with the system here was that though there were laws, orders, circulars and notifications against crowding, "nobody follows it".

The test positivity rate (TPR) in the state is going up due to non-enforcement of isolation protocols properly, the Kerala High Court said on Wednesday and added that preventing crowding or full lockdown were the only options to prevent spread of COVID-19. The observation by the court came while expressing concern over the non-implementation of the new COVID guidelines at liquor shops run by state-owned Beverages Corporation (BEVCO) where people could be seen waiting in long queues for hours on end to buy alcohol. Justice Devan Ramachandran said that the new guidelines, which mandate that anyone venturing out needs at least one dose of vaccine or a negative RT-PCR report not older than 72 hours or should have been infected by COVID-19 in past one month, should also be applicable to liquor outlets just like they are applicable to other shops. "Are you (BEVCO) saying COVID-19 will not come near BEVCO outlets? Merely because you are getting revenue out of it, you cannot expose customers to the highest risk. The guidelines should be more applicable to you.