key: cord-0011796-3qbl5ubv
authors: Gulia, Kamalesh K; Kumar, Velayudhan Mohan
title: Reverse quarantine: Management of COVID‐19 by Kerala with its higher number of aged population
date: 2020-06-04
journal: Psychogeriatrics
DOI: 10.1111/psyg.12582
sha: 1d39d07a5111753326f86f47b3c65243fcccc1b3
doc_id: 11796
cord_uid: 3qbl5ubv

nan

Kerala, a densely populated coastal state in south-west India, is a popular tourist spot. The state is more prone to getting infections from outside, not only because it is a tourist destination, but also because a large number of Keralites, who are either living abroad or in other states in India, make frequent visits to their native state. A special aspect of Kerala is that it has the highest percentage (12.6% as per 2011 census) of the aged population as compared to the rest of India (8.6%). 1,2 As may be expected, this was the first state in India to get affected by the coronavirus disease (COVID-19), to which the elderly population is particularly susceptible. Further, an 88and 93-years-old couple were one of the first to get COVID-19 in Kerala through contact with an infected family member who arrived from Italy. Under good medical care, the elderly couple This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.

As the extended lockdown was slowly lifted, the first flight with expatriates reached Kerala on 7 th May. All the returnees are now quarantined for 14 days in specialised institutional facilities.

But, senior citizens above 70 years are quarantined only at their own homes. Government is maintaining a strict surveillance of the returnees, and employing testing procedures to ensure the lowest possible spread of the disease. COVID-19 cases are now going up at the rate of 10-25 cases per day, which is likely to go up further in the coming days. The head start that Kerala had in preventing the spread of the disease in the initial phase may help the state in dealing with the next wave of the disease.

Aging in Kerala: One more population problem?