The State government on Saturday night invoked the Epidemic Diseases Act, 1897 to regulate public life in Kasaragod after 12 new cases of COVID-19 had surfaced in the district in the past 48 hours.
The district administration feared that scores more would have run the risk of exposure to infected persons.
It is scrambling to complete the list of persons who had come into contact with the infected people to identify and isolate them.
The British government had framed the law to tackle the bubonic plague that ravaged Mumbai in the late 19th century.
Imprisonment
Any violation of the Act entails a punishment of up to six months of imprisonment and a fine of not less than ₹1,000. The government has invoked its provisions to order the closure of temples, mosques, churches and other centres of worship for the next two weeks.
It has ordered clubs, cinema halls, parks and public places to shut. Government offices will remain closed for one week. However, the District Collector has placed State employees on the standby for immediate deployment. He has ordered them to stay in the district.
The government has allowed commercial establishments to open for business only between 11 a.m. and 5 p.m. Only establishments that provide essential services, such as medical and provision stores, could remain open during usual business hours.
