The first case of the COVID-19 pandemic in Kerala (which was also the first reported case in all of India) was confirmed in Thrissur on 30 January 2020. As of 5 April 2022, there have been 65,34,352 confirmed cases, test positivity rate is at 2.04% (13.96% cumulative), with 64,62,811 (98.91%) recoveries and 68,197 (1.04%) deaths in the state.
Initially, Kerala's success in containing COVID-19 was widely praised both nationally and internationally, Following high number of cases being reported in March, Kerala had, by April 30, reduced the rate of increase of new cases to less than 0.25% per day. However, in mid-May, there was an increase or "second wave" of new cases, following the return of Keralites from other countries and other Indian states. In July, a large local group of cases was identified at the Kumarichantha fish market in Thiruvananthapuram. There was a third surge in cases post-Onam, with a high number of new cases reported in late-October in Malappuram, Kozhikode, Ernakulam and Thrissur districts. Active cases peaked at 97,525, and started to decline from November, before bouncing back to over 4,00,000 in May 2021 following the state elections. On 12 May 2021 Kerala reported the largest single day spike with 43,529 new cases. During 27–28 July Kerala reported 22,129 and 22,056 new cases respectively, accounting for more than 50% of daily new cases in India in those days. The state, however, has the low case fatality rate in India - 1.05% - compared to the national average of 1.2%.
As per the official reports from the Government of Kerala, up until September 9, 2022, there were 9,110 active COVID-19 cases, with a cumulative total of 6,767,856 confirmed cases, 6,686,948 recoveries, and 70,913 confirmed deaths. Since then, official updates have been less frequent on the government portal, with data often appearing in newspaper reports. By 2024, case numbers have fluctuated significantly, reflecting a substantial decrease in the rate of transmission within the state. However, sporadic positive cases continue to be reported, indicating that the virus has not been fully eradicated.
Timeline of events
Initial cases
January 2020
Starting 30 January 2020, the first positive cases of coronavirus in India were reported from three students of Kerala origin, travelling from the Wuhan province of China, which was the point of origin of the disease. They belonged to Thrissur, Alappuzha and Kasargod districts of Kerala and two of them were medical students at a university in Wuhan.
February
Following the detection of positive cases, the government of Kerala declared a 'state calamity warning' on 4 February. Over 3000 contacts of the affected individuals were placed under quarantine, out of which 45 were placed in hospital quarantine. The three positive individuals later recovered from the infection following hospital care. The 'state calamity' warning was withdrawn after 4 days, when no further cases were reported. As China was a popular country for students from Kerala to pursue medical studies, several medical students got stranded in China when the lock-down due to coronavirus was put into effect. Some of them, who were stranded in airports in China were evacuated and flown into Cochin International Airport and quarantined at isolation wards in Kochi Medical College. However, none of them later tested positive for the disease.
First wave
March
The government of Kerala declared high alert on 8 March 2020 due to coronavirus cases being reported from the state. Isolation wards with 40 beds were set up in 21 major hospitals of the state and a helpline was activated in every district. As of 9 March, more than 4000 persons are under home or hospital quarantine in Kerala. As of 4 March, 215 health care workers were deployed across Kerala and 3,646 Telephone counseling services were conducted to provide psycho-social support to families of those suspected to be infected. Despite the threat of coronavirus infection, the Kerala government decided to go ahead with Attukal pongala, a large, annual, all-women religious congregation in Thiruvananthapuram. The government also urged individuals to refrain themselves from the pongala, take precautions against disease transmission and, if possible, offer pongala at their own homes. The government of Kerala has started a YouTube channel for updating the public regarding the status of coronavirus spread in Kerala and precautions to be taken. There are three coronavirus testing centers in Kerala : National Institute of Virology Field Unit, Thiruvananthapuram Medical College, Calicut Medical College.
On 10 March, the Kerala government arranged special isolation wards in prisons across the state. On 10 March, the government of Kerala shut down all colleges and schools up to grade 7. The government also urged people to not undertake pilgrimages, attend large gatherings such as weddings and cinema shows.
The government also launched a mobile application called "GoK Direct" for users to get information and updates regarding COVID-19. It is an initiative from the Kerala Startup Mission and the Information & Public Relations Department, developed by the startup Qkopy. The app can also send text message alerts to basic phones (without internet). The app will focus on general announcements, information and updated guidelines for travellers, details about the quarantine protocol and also health and safety tips for visitors to the state.
On 15 March, the new initiative 'Break the Chain' was introduced by the Government of Kerala. (See next section for more details.)
On 19 March, Chief minister Pinarayi Vijayan announced a stimulus package of Rs 20,000 crore (€2.5 billion; $2.6 billion) to help the state overcome both the COVID-19 epidemic and economic hardship caused by it. This includes Rs. 500 crore for healthcare, Rs 2,000 crore for loans and free rations, Rs 2,000 crore for creating jobs in rural areas, Rs 1,000 crore for families with financial difficulties, and Rs 1,320 crore for paying two months pensions in advance. The government has also ordered salons and workout centers to shut down. This is in order to prevent the virus from spreading via direct contact.
On 22 March, Health minister of Kerala, K. K. Shailaja strongly warned people to follow the orders from Health department of Kerala. A citizen science initiative, Collective for Open Data Distribution - Keralam (CODD-K), by a group of technologists, academicians, and students advocating open data released first bilingual (Malayalam and English) online dashboard (March 22, 2020) for non-specialists to provide real-time analysis, and daily updates of COVID-19 cases in Kerala by leveraging publicly available data from the daily bulletins published by the department of health services (DHS), Government of Kerala, and various news outlets
On 23 March, Chief minister Pinarayi Vijayan announced a statewide lock-down until 31 March to prevent further spread of the coronavirus. This was before the central government declared a nationwide lock-down. Most strictly applied in Kasargod, necessary shops like grocery stores were allowed to open from 11am to 5pm. In the other districts, necessary shops were opened from 7 am until 5 pm with the exception of medical stores. Public transports were shut down. There was no restriction for private vehicles but district to district travels was only allowed with thorough checking.
In late March, two researchers from the University of Cambridge came up with a new mathematical model that predicts a flat 49-day countrywide lockdown or sustained lockdown with periodic relaxation extending over two months may be necessary to prevent COVID-19 resurgence in India.
"Break the Chain"
The Kerala government introduced a mass hand washing campaign named break the chain on March 15 to educate people about the importance of public and personal hygiene due to the spread of the novel coronavirus across the state. Health Minister of Kerala, Smt. K. K. Shailaja inaugurated the mass campaign. The government has appealed the public to promote break the chain campaign as a safety measure. During this campaign, the government has installed water taps with hand wash bottles at public spots of the railway stations and other public places.
April - District Classification
By 16 April, the Union Health Ministry had identified seven districts in Kerala as COVID-19 hotspots.
Finally, Kerala designated four districts – Kasargod, Kannur, Kozhikode and Malappuram – as 'Red Zone', Idukki and Kottayam as 'Green Zone' and the remaining eight districts as 'Orange Zone'. Lock-down restrictions in the Green and Orange Zones were relaxed on 20 and 24 April. Inter-state and inter-district travel would continue to be banned. People travelling outside their homes would be required to wear a mask. Every district would be given a special plan for preventive measures. According to the government's order, 13 services, including air, rail and inter-district bus services, will not be available in the zoning system throughout the lockdown.
On 23 April 2020, Pinarayi Vijayan announced that the two 'Green Zone' districts – Idukki and Kottayam – would be added to the COVID-19 Orange Zone. This followed confirmation of new positive cases in these districts. On 27 April 2020, Kottayam and Idukki districts were included in the 'Red Zone' due to rising numbers of new cases. With this, six districts are in the Red zone. State Police Chief, Lokanath Behera announced that two IPS officers have been appointed as Special Officers in the Red Zone, Idukki and Kottayam.
May
On 2 May 2020, Wayanad district was shifted to Orange Zone following the report of the COVID-19 case. Thrissur, Alappuzha and Ernakulam have been in the green zone with no new cases reported for more than 21 days. Kannur and Kottayam will remain in the red zone. Other districts are in the orange zone. The zonal classification will be changed from time to time to assess the situation in the districts. Lock-down control in hotspots in Red Zone districts has been decided to be implemented more strictly. No public transportation will be allowed, including in the Green Zone.
Repatriating Keralites
Following the lockdown, steps were taken to help Keralites stranded in other countries - particularly the Persian Gulf nations - return to India. At least 4.27 lakh NRKs (non-resident Keralites) had registered on the NORKA (Department of Non Resident Keralites Affairs) portal, of which about 1.69 lakh people constituted the most vulnerable sections, those who had lost their jobs or whose employment contract had not been renewed; those released from prisons and awaiting deportation, pregnant women, elderly people, students who had completed courses and whose visa had expired etc. However, it is unclear whether all these people would be allowed to travel home, considering certain conditions and priorities set by the local embassies and the centre.
For weeks, the state health department had been engaged in setting up facilities and protocols to be pushed into action when the expatriates come home. Health minister KK Shailaja said in a statement that her department was fully equipped to deal with expatriates at all four international airports – Trivandrum International Airport, Cochin International Airport, Calicut International Airport and Kannur International Airport.
Pre-arrival protocols
Initially, there would be a basic medical screening for those wishing to return home. Only those found asymptomatic were allowed to board the aircraft. Passengers inside flights were seated in a zig-zag fashion, wearing masks. 45 minutes before arrival, announcements were made inside the flight about quarantine. Those running a fever were sent to the isolation bay. Others were directed to the help desks. Each of the help desks had a doctor, staff nurse, volunteer and a data entry operator. Passengers were checked for symptoms by the doctor. Those with other symptoms were also directed to the isolation bay.
The Indian Consulate had appealed to passengers not to overcrowd the airport, maintain social distancing and follow all necessary precautions stipulated by the authorities. Air India crew members on board the repatriation flights were issued protective gear, including Personal Protective Equipment, to reduce the risk of contracting coronavirus.
Post-arrival protocols
Separate mobile health applications had been created to register and track the expatriates who arrive at three of the airports in the first phase – Kochi, Thiruvananthapuram and Kozhikode. The app to be used at Thiruvananthapuram is named 'Karuthal' (English: Precaution), the one designed for Kochi is 'Ayurraksha' (English: Life protection) and the one for Kozhikode is 'Agamanam' (English: Arrival). All the details of those who have registered on the NORKA website have been plugged into the app. Using QR codes, each of the travellers can be contacted and traced.
The passengers were home quarantined for 14 days and monitored by ward-level Vigil Committees in their residences. Those who wanted to stay in corona care homes were shifted to such centres near airports. The expatriates also had to stay in government-arranged facilities for the first seven days. On the seventh day, PCR test for coronavirus would be conducted and those who tested negative sent home. Those who test positive would be sent to hospitals. Those who were sent home would have to remain in quarantine for one more week. Antibody tests would also be widely done on overseas returnees.
Operation Samudra Setu
The navy named its evacuation operation as "Samudra Setu" (Sea Bridge). The repatriation exercise was conducted in keeping with a standard operating procedure (SOP) prepared by the central government. Under the first phase of Operation "Samudra Setu", INS Jalashwa brought back 750 Indians from the Maldives, followed by another 250 repatriations by INS Magar. The ships sailed to the Cochin Port port and the evacuated personnel were disembarked there.