Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan began his daily press meet on COVID-19 updates on Friday (March 27) with an unusual remark- ‘today is not a good day’ considering the situation hitherto.
Kerala reported the highest number of positive cases in a day on Friday, with 39 fresh cases taking the total number of infected persons to 164. Among this, as many as 34 cases are from Kasaragod, a district that is under high alert as a man who returned from Dubai and tested positive for coronavirus, had travelled extensively to various places.
“What is particular in the cases reported in the past couple of days is that they had come in contact with so many people and travelled to a lot of places. We are considering disclosing their names and other details publicly,” the Chief Minister said.
Despite the spike in the number of cases, what disturbs the authorities is also the extensive high-risk contact list of the politician from Idukki, who was tested positive on Friday.
Incidentally, the Karnataka government published the address of COVID-19 patients on an app, in addition to those under quarantine. The app, which can be downloaded by the public, has been designed to help people see if they have been in the areas where a COVID-19 patient is. However, the app has been criticised for infringing on the privacy of these patients.
A total of 616 people are in hospital while 10,096 people are in isolation at their homes. Among the confirmed cases on Friday, two each are from Kannur and Thrissur while one each is from Kollam and Kozhikode. As many as 5,679 samples had been sent for testing, out of which 4,448 returned negative.
“Today, the number of confirmed cases are the highest. The check on the situation needs to continue strongly. It should be realised that the situation is grave. We should prepare ourselves to face any kind of situation,” he said.
The Chief Minister expressed his displeasure over the politician from Idukki for travelling extensively, saying, “Is this the kind of approach that a public worker should have taken at a time when everybody is bound to be vigilant? The virus is not that far; for not getting infected the primary care is for oneself.”
The CM also stressed that people cannot get tested and confirmed at hospitals at the same time. “Those who are suspected to have been infected will be put under observation in hospitals and the samples will be collected then.”