For the first time in Kerala, a journalist was tested positive for the novel coronavirus in the state on Wednesday. Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan, in his daily press conference, confirmed that a Kasaragod-based broadcast journalist was among the 10 people who tested positive for the virus on April 29.
Among the 10 cases on Wednesday, six were from the southern district of Kollam, two from Thiruvananthapuram and two from Kasaragod. A total of 495 COVID-19 cases have been reported from Kerala as on Wednesday.
“Five of the cases in Kollam contracted the virus through contact. Among them, one person had returned from Andhra Pradesh,” the CM said.
Similarly in Thiruvananthapuram, one of the two positive cases had returned from Tamil Nadu. Both of the Kasaragod patients had got the virus through contact, the CM confirmed.
Ten patients from Kannur, Kasaragod, Kozhikode and Pathanamthitta had also tested negative and were discharged.
The CM added that the results of the 25 samples, which included samples of three suspected cases from Idukki and were sent for retesting, were yet to come back.
Two more hotspots
The state government included two more panchayats to the list of hotspots in the state on Wednesday, taking the total count of hotspots to 102.
Vandiperiyar in Idukki and Ajanoor in Kasaragod are the fresh additions to this list. Twenty-eight hotspots have been marked in Kannur district, where 47 patients are currently under treatment for COVID-19.
The state has designated 14 hotspots in Idukki, 18 in Kottayam, 15 in Kollam, 13 in Kasaragod and six in Palakkad. Thiruvananthapuram and Pathanamthitta consist of two hotspots each while Ernakulam has one.
Thrissur, Alappuzha and Wayanad have no reported cases of the virus, the Chief Minister confirmed.
‘No plans for ward division now’
The Chief Minister said that the Kerala Municipality Act, 1994 and Kerala Panchayat Act and Rules, 1994 would be amended in order to put a stop to the ward division that was to take place this year before the local body elections.
“We had earlier decided to add members in all local bodies, which requires the existing wards to be divided. However, with the current COVID-19 situation, ward division is not possible and if it has to be done, then it will delay the local body elections. The government wants local body elections to continue smoothly and hence, we are planning to hold it from the existing constituencies,” Pinarayi added.
The Chief Minister also confirmed that the government was preparing an ordinance to defer salaries of state government employees during emergencies. Incidentally, on Tuesday, the Kerala High Court stayed an order issued by the state, which deferred six days of salaries of government employees for five months.
The ordinance is pending government approval, the CM added.
Moves to boost agriculture
The government has also begun drafting a scheme to improve agriculture and related sectors post lockdown.
Pinarayi added that the government will encourage the cultivation of fallow land in the state to boost harvests and ensure food security in the state. Younger sections of the population and NRIs (non-resident Indians) returning to Kerala after facing job loss will be encouraged to take up agriculture.
Owners of fallow lands, who are not interested in cultivating, can lease it out to local body committees, Kudumbashree or other self-help groups who can then cultivate the land, partnering up with the owners, the CM added.
The scheme will also rope in other departments, including animal husbandry, irrigation, cooperatives, fisheries and SC/ST.