Today cannot be called a good day, Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan began his press conference on a sombre note as he updated the media about the new number of COVID-19 cases in the state. There are 39 new cases reported on Friday, the most number reported on a single day so far. Out of these 34 are in Kasargod, the district with the most number of positive cases so far. The remaining five positive cases are in Kannur, Kollam, Thrissur and Kozhikode.
This takes the total number of COVID-19 cases in the state to 176, including 13 people who recovered.
On Wednesday, 112 people were admitted for observation in hospital. There are now 616 people under observation in hospitals and 1,09,683 in home quarantine.
Since the most number of positive cases are in Kasargod, the existing restrictions should continue even more strictly, the CM said.
By Friday, 1,10,299 people in the state have been placed under observation. Out of these, 616 people have been admitted to various hospitals in the state, while the rest are placed under home quarantine. A total of 5679 samples have been sent for testing. Out of these, 4,448 of them returned negative for SARS-C0V-2, the Chief Minister confirmed.
With the spotlight remaining on Kasaragod due to the sheer number of cases reported from the district, the Chief Minister observed that many of the new patients there had failed to self-quarantine and instead, exposed scores of people around them.
As a result, the state is also wondering whether to release the details of these patients, in the interest of the public, the CM said.
“Don’t think that coronavirus is very far away. We must be prepared for any eventuality… With the new patients reported from Kasaragod, we have found that they have traveled to so many places and met so many people,” he added. Citing the case of the Idukki based politician who tested positive for coronavirus, Pinarayi stated that the man had toured across the state and met several political leaders, bureaucrats and others. The state government is also facing difficulty preparing his route map, he added.
Kasaragod residents face shortage of medical facilities
Another concern that the Chief Minister raised was the difficulties faced by the people of Kasargod in getting medical care.
Residents, particularly in West Kasaragod, would usually travel to Mangaluru in Karnataka to avail medical facilities including dialysis. However, with the state’s borders shut, patients in need of medical assistance in the district have been stranded.
“Kannur, the neighbouring district, also cannot accommodate all of them. Steps shall be taken to solve this crisis,” Pinarayi said.
A bigger problem has however risen now, the CM said. Roads have been blocked between the states of Karnataka and Kerala by some people dumping sand. Chief secretaries would intervene in the issue to make sure this is stopped. It has also been taken to the attention of the Prime Minister.
Kannur MC to be COVID Hospital, Kasargod Central Univ primary centre
The Kannur Medical College Hospital is being renovated as COVID hospital. It has 200 beds, 40 ICU beds and 15 ventilators. Kasargod central university would be the primary centre for coronavirus, with an elaborate testing system. It just needs the approval of ICMR, the CM informed the media.
It is advisable to use the N95 masks only in hospitals, he said.
Medicine for the HIV-infected would be provided by taluk hospitals instead of district hospitals.
Police interventions during lockdown
The CM said that the police intervention in stopping people from stepping out of the house for non-urgent needs has been effective. “It is not to trouble anyone but for the safety of the society that these restrictions are brought in place. When a person steps out for urgent needs, they should have a statement with the purpose in hand. The civil officer in charge should check the statement and let the person go if the requirement is genuine. But attacking a person without checking the statement properly should not be done. The police have been instructed accordingly.”
The CM also urged people to provide drinking water to the policemen who stand under the sun all day for the sake of everyone. Residents Associations and people in the locality should take the initiative.
Other arrangements
Food and accomodation for the homeless have been undertaken by 5 corporations and 26 municipalities. There are now 1545 migrant labourers in 31 camps now. Temporary arrangements could be made in schools where food is also now being prepared (as part of community kitchens). As many as 4603 camps have been started in the state for migrant labourers. More than 1.44 lakh workers stay in these camps. Masks, soaps and sanitisers are being arranged for these camps. Respective collectors and the labour department should intervene to check their condition.
With several domesticated animals being left to starve currently, the CM added that the state government will take measures to feed these farm animals during the crisis. Further, local self government bodies and temple authorities have been instructed to feed stray dogs and monkeys who usually depend on people to feed them.