Tuesday broke the chain of positive cases. After two consecutive days when three persons each were found positive, no samples were tested positive on Tuesday. The three-year-old child who had returned from Italy, and is isolated in Kalamassery Medical College, is also said to be out of danger.
This could be why when the whole world, including other parts of India are shutting down even essential activities, Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan gave a different message. “We should be careful not to let our guard down but our social life should go on as usual,” the Chief Minister said during his customary sunset briefing in Thiruvananthapuram on Tuesday.
Currently, 24 COVID-19 patients are under treatment in Kerala. Three persons from Kerala, who were tested positive earlier, were discharged from hospitals last month after their recovery.
To prevent any massive spread at this stage, Kerala has also dramatically stepped up surveillance on Tuesday. As many as 5,372 persons were put under isolation in homes today. This takes the total number of people under observation in Kerala to 18,011, an over 40 per cent increase in a single day. Yesterday, on March 16, the number was 12,740.
Nearly 99 per cent of those under observation, or 17,743 persons, are kept in isolation in their own homes. Isolated in hospitals are 268 individuals, almost similar to the last few days. This is a clear indicator that the government was trying to minimise the pressure on hospitals.
Here's yet another encouraging sign: 4,353 people were freed from isolation today. Here's more: Samples of 2,467 suspect cases were sent for testing and 1,807 have turned up negative results.
Digital consultation
Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan hinted that the government was about to focus on mitigation measures as much as containment. He spoke of setting up an interactive web portal where the public could interact directly with a special team of doctors. “Digital consultation” is the objective.
An expert committee of doctors and scientists will also be constituted soon to advice the government in the fight against COVID-19.
Students as messengers
The Chief Minister also wants preventive measures to be effectively conveyed to the public. “The best people to convey the message right to our homes are medical students,” Pinarayi said. He said medical students would be trained to take the message to homes.
Kerala University of Health Sciences will lead the student drive. The Indian Medical Association, which has a student wing, has also promised help.
Inhuman hosts
The Chief Minister also said that the public should not behave as if it was the end of the world. He was referring to the inhuman treatment meted out to tourists in North and Central Kerala. He said that once the COVID-19 scare passed, Kerala would have to depend on tourism to revive its fortunes.
The Chief Minister recounted some of what he called “unfortunate incidents”. “Two tourists from France and Italy who came to North Kerala could not find a place to stay or was anyone willing to provide them any food. They suffered for two days,” Pinarayi said.
He said a French tourist was forced out of a bus by co-passenger suspecting that he had COVID-19. “A French woman with a three-year-old child also found it hard to find a lodging and something to eat. This happened in central Kerala,” the Chief Minister said. A Russian family with three kids too could not find a taxi or a room in Kerala. In many of these case, the police had to intervene.
“Such an approach towards foreign tourists will give a wrong message to he world,” the Chief Minister said.
Moratorium on loans
Pinarayi said he had met officials of the State-Level Bankers' Committee and had requested them to provide moratorium on loans taken by the people in such a situation. “We have asked for a moratorium of one year and also also some exemption or waiver on interest,” the Chief Minister said. The SLBC is expected to get back to the Chief Minister on March 18 itself.
