Containing a pandemic with public actions and public trust: the Kerala story.

We study the Covid pandemic in the Indian state of Kerala, and document the state's remarkable success in containing the pandemic's first wave. By identifying Kerala's initial conditions when it was hit by the pandemic, and different components of the state's Covid policy, we conclude: While being subject to resource constraints faced by an Indian state located in a federal structure, Kerala contained its first Covid wave by preemptively formulating a comprehensive set of government actions that were supported and complemented by the state's citizens. This was achieved by leveraging and reinforcing the citizen's in the state.