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Once lauded for Covid-19 prevention management, Kerala records spike in number of cases
Kerala has recorded more than 21,466 cases since Sunday. The highest number of cases was recorded on Sunday when the state lodged 8,553 cases.
Kerala, along with Maharashtra, Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu and Uttar Pradesh, is among the states who account for 77 per cent of the total active cases in the country, according to Union health ministry.
While addressing a press conference, Union health secretary Rajesh Bhushan also pointed out that 48 per cent of the deaths are concentrated around 25 districts from eight states.
“Out of these 25 districts, 15 districts are in one state alone that is Maharashtra. Two districts each are in Karnataka, West Bengal and Gujarat and one each in Tamil Nadu, Punjab, UP and Andhra Pradesh,” he said.
Kerala has recorded more than 21,466 cases since Sunday. The highest number of cases was recorded on Sunday when the state lodged 8,553 cases.
Kerala also recorded 71 deaths in the last three days. It reported the highest number of deaths on Tuesday with 25 new fatalities over the last 24 hours.
Kerala government which was once lauded for its management of the pandemic is seeing a huge rise in the number of cases. The spike led to Kerala government announcing Section 144 of the CrPC under which more than five people cannot assemble at one place.
The state also saw several protests during the final weeks of September when the government faced criticism from the opposition parties over the gold smuggling case. Several opposition parties across the state held rallies and were also lathicharged as they demanded the resignation of education minister KT Jaleel.
Whether these protests led to the spike in cases remains unclear but chief minister Pinarayi Vijayan highlighted that attention towards Covid-19 preventive measures have dropped among citizens of the state.
“Despite repeated instruction, our vigilance has gone down. We have had to impose fines when people take the seriousness of the virus lightly. Those not wearing masks will be fined,” he said on Thursday.
Ernakulam, Thiruvananthapuram and Kozhikode have registered the most number of cases.
The chief minister reiterated that enforcement of Covid-19 preventative measures strictly can curb the contagion. He said, “Social distancing should always be maintained in shops and only a certain number of people should enter at a time. Masks should be worn and hand sanitiser should be used.”
