Thiruvananthapuram, Jul 6 (IANS): The corporation limits of Thiruvananthapuram will go under a week-long triple lockdown starting from 6 a.m on Monday and only hospitals and medical shops will be open and there will be no public transport.

The city corporation is spread over 214.86 sq km with 100 wards and a population of close to one million.

This decision was taken at a meeting chaired by Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan and high-ranking officials.

The sudden decision has come after there was a spike in cases and on Sunday of the 38 local infectees in the state, 22 were reported from the state capital district.

State Health Minister K.K. Shailaja said that this step was needed as there has been a sudden increase in Covid positive cases.

"The markets have been a source of infection.... Of late, it has been found that there were cases where the source of infection was not identified," she said.

Offices and shops will not open and the State Secretariat also will be closed and hence all, including Vijayan, will be working from home.

All the bus depots of the State Road Transport Corporation will also be closed and roads will be barricaded, with one road will be kept open for moving of essential services.

Meanwhile, essential items will be delivered at home with the help of police and select shops will be kept open for this.

Kerala on Sunday saw one dead person's results come out positive for Covid and 225 fresh cases being recorded.

A statement issued earlier by Shailaja said that the state had 2,228 positive patients, while 3,174 people have been cured of the disease.