Kerala should be more cautious, says Union minister V Muraleedharan amid sharp spike in Covid cases

Kerala recorded 6,004 new Covid-19 cases on Wednesday, the highest since December 22 when 6,049 cases were registered.

Union minister of state for external affairs V Muraleedharan said on Thursday that Kerala reported the largest number of coronavirus disease (Covid-19) cases on Wednesday, and accused the Pinarayi Vijayan government of not taking precautionary measures. He said that the state government has decided to open every sector despite an increase in the number of infections.

Muraleedharan said that the state government has decided to open every sector despite an increase in the number of infections. (Photo @VMBJP)

“Yesterday, largest no. of Covid cases were reported in Kerala. The state govt is not taking precautionary measures. Now, they’ve decided to open every sector in spite of the increasing number of cases. I’d like the state govt to be more cautious,” Muraleedharan was quoted as saying according to news agency ANI.

Kerala recorded 6,004 new Covid-19 cases on Wednesday, the highest since December 22 when 6,049 cases were registered.

Wednesday’s Covid-19 numbers pushed the total number of cases in the state to nearly 825,769, of which 3,373 have died while 756,817 people recovered, according to the health ministry’s dashboard. The active cases stand at 65,579.

Kerala had set an example for the entire country as it had managed to contain the spread of the Covid-19 outbreak initially. However, the state has been witnessing a rapid increase in the daily tally since the past few months.

The state government has maintained that the high numbers were a result of the robust surveillance and reporting mechanism with health minister KK Shailaja adding that the ultimate aim is to save the lives of people and reduce the mortality rate. “The rise in the number of cases in the state is due to a robust surveillance and reporting system. We managed to delay the peak of the pandemic and upgraded the threshold of our health system.” Shailaja had told news agency PTI on January 8 (Friday).

The state government on January 9 (Saturday) had permitted to reopen spas, ayurvedic resorts and other such facilities and issued orders with regard to safety norms. “Such institutions can be opened fully in compliance with the Covid protocols. They must also take all precautions to ensure hygiene and safety,” tourism minister Kadakampally Surendran had said.

Surendran added that the existing government guidelines for the disease in line with the functioning of the tourism sector should also be fully complied with the concerned spas and resorts. In October, the government had permitted the re-opening of select tourism centres in two phases in order to revive the industry.

(With agency inputs)