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Telangana health dept slams politicians for spike in Covid cases
Without naming any political party in particular, Rao said that the second wave of the pandemic is not yet completely under control and urged politicians to act in a responsible manner.
Telangana’s director of public health G Srinivasa Rao on Thursday censured political leaders of all hues for violating protocols by holding rallies and public events for an impending bypoll, amid a sudden spurt in Covid-19 cases.
Without naming any political party in particular, Rao said that the second wave of the pandemic is not yet completely under control and urged politicians to act in a responsible manner.
“All of a sudden, political activity has increased in the state. Rallies, padayatras and public meetings are being planned everywhere. Political leaders and parties have the right to do so, but they should also have certain responsibilities. When they call for a procession or padayatra, are their followers taking precaution?” he said.
Huzurabad assembly constituency in Karimnagar district is awaiting bypolls following the resignation of former health minister and Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS) leader Eatala Rajender in June this year. Rajender was removed from the state cabinet in May after allegations that firms owned by his family indulged in land grabbing across the state surfaced against him. Eatela refuted all allegations and later quit the TRS to join the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).
While the Election Commission of India is yet to make any announcements on the bypoll, leaders across party lines have begun holding political meetings and events across the district.
The official’s outburst came at a time when the district is witnessing an unusual spike in Covid-19 cases for the past few days. “Are political leaders, party workers and people following Covid-19 norms? Leaders don’t wear masks while speaking in public. This can lead to spread of the virus,” he said.
Reacting to Rao’s remarks, TRS MLC Bhanu Prasad said, “Yes it is a fact that cases are rising in Karimnagar but we are requesting cadres and also other parties to follow all Covid norms.”
The Congress, however, was sceptical of Rao’s warning. “He is less of a health executive and more of a political executive. He is the one who is preempting that the third wave will hit only in December when the reality is it is almost looming upon us. Why did he not advise chief minister KCR to not ban Bonalu (state festival) gatherings last week? When KCR went around in his hometown, did he say anything? There is a political motto in all his statements,” Congress spokesperson Dr Sravan Dasoju said.
The BJP too trained its guns on the official. “The fact is, in Telangana, Rao has to come clean on Covid cases in the state everyday before advising political parties. Daily bulletins are not updated and numbers are fudged. He has to adopt a sincere and a non-partisan attitude first. We are in a democractic framework. We don’t have a choice as a political party but to seek mandate from people even during a pandemic. But the BJP will be vigilant and follow all Covid protocols,” BJP spokesperson Krishna Saagar Rao said.
Since July 22, Covid-19 cases in Karimnagar have been on the rise. With 61 cases on Thursday, the district recorded the second-highest number of infections as Hyderabad registered 83 cases.
The daily caseload in Karimnagar was also the highest among 33 districts on July 26 and August 2. The daily infection count in the district has been ranging from 60 to 75 since July 31.
Explaining the consequences of mass gatherings, Dr Ranga Reddy, president of Infection Control Academy Of India, said: “By-elections are a death knell for constituents during a pandemic, whether it is in Telangana or elsewhere in the country. It is unfortunate that no political party is paying heed to Dr Rao’s warnings, including the Telangana chief minister. We doctors are trying relentlessly to break the Covid transmission cycle. Mass gathering will only accelerate the transmissions. Worse, it will exponentially risk the growth of mutations leading to several variants like the delta variant.”
On Thursday, the Telangana government sent a team of health department officials to Karimnagar to plan measures for containing the spread of coronavirus and other seasonal diseases. The officials and district administration held a series of meetings with the health staff and medical officers from primary health centres.
During a field visit, Rao directed the health staff to conduct 8,000 to 9,000 tests in a day.
With a focus on villages with high numbers of infections, medical officers have been asked to spend most of their time visiting such areas to contain the spread and make efforts to bring the case count to zero.
