THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Some changes have been brought in the criteria for determining containment zones, CM Pinarayi Vijayan said. Every night before 12 AM, containment zone will be notified. In panchayats, containment zones will be on a ward basis. In the corporation level, the announcement will be on a sub-ward level. Containment zones will be determined on the basis of regional structure like market, port, colony, and street, the CM told the media.

In a ward, if a person tests positive through local transmission the area will be declared as a containment zone. Similarly, a region will be declared as a containment zone: if two persons in home quarantine test positive, if ten or more people in a ward with primary contact get quarantined, 25 persons in a ward get quarantined due to secondary contact, the possibility of transmission is likely in a sub ward, market, harbour, shopping mall, street, and living area, the CM said.

The declaration will be for seven days. The extension will be based on the collector's suggestion. Local self-governing institutions will be a red colour-coded local self-government if more than 50 percent of wards are declared as containment zones. If a returnee from other states or nations tests positive while in home quarantine, containment zone will be declared for specific square kilometres.