Replicating the Kerala State's Successful COVID-19 Containment Model: Insights on What Worked

Although Kerala was the first state in India to report COVID cases, it was well prepared drawing on its past experience in managing effectively the Nipah outbreak and Kerala floods. It knew and initiated the measures required for containment because of its prior experience with mobilizing community-based groups, involvement of local-self government in decentralized planning, and participation in the containment and relief measure as well as a system-ready health system and infrastructure. The measures taken to “flatten the curve” that is unique to Kerala and the determinants of success are described in detail as “what worked” using the framework we developed post the Nipah outbreak containment experience. These are being shared with the hope that the insights these measures undertaken by the state provide can be used elsewhere to translate and replicate components that work.