Fears of big Covid-19 surge in Kerala after polls, central minister demands action against CM for flouting norms
The opposition has claimed that chief minister Pinarayi Vijayan developed Covid-19 symptoms two days before the assembly elections and suppressed the information.
The government in Kerala has taken strict measures to check the spread of the coronavirus disease (Covid-19) in the state. In capital Thiruvananthapuram, many areas have been declared containment zones.
There are fears of big surge in the number of Covid-19 cases in the state after assembly elections where norms were flouted during campaigning. The positivity rate in the state has reached 13.45 per cent.
The strict measures were put in place after chief minister Pinarayi Vijayan held a virtual review meeting on Thursday, a day after getting discharged from the hospital. Vijayan tested positive for Covid-19 on April 8 and was admitted to Government Medical College at Kozhikode.
In a Facebook post after his discharge, Vijayan said the doctors and staff had provided the best possible care to him. Vijayan, the CPI(M) candidate from Dharmadam in Kannur, had travelled extensively throughout the state during the campaign for the April 6 assembly polls.
Kerala health minister KK Shailaja denied reports that the chief minister flouted Covid-19 norms. The opposition has claimed that Vijayan developed Covid-19 symptoms two days before the assembly elections and suppressed the information.
"It is sad to whip up unnecessary controversies," said KK Shailaja. The minister also said it was not proper to blame assembly elections for the recent surge in Covid-19 cases.
But the issue is far from over. Minister of state for external affairs and Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader V Muraleedharan has sought action against Pinarayi Vijayan for flouting Covid-19 protocol.
"The blatant violation of #COVID19 protocols by @VijayanPinarayi & his daughter is a total disgrace. They let the entire state down and set a shameful example," Muraleedharan said on Twitter.
Kerala logged 8,778 new Covid-19 cases and 22 related fatalities on Wednesday, taking the caseload to 11.89 lakh and the death toll to 4,836, according to state government bulletin. As many as 2,642 people were cured of the infection, taking the total number of recoveries to 11,25,775.
Among the districts, Ernakulam reported the highest number of 1,226 cases, followed by Kozhikode with 1,098 and Malappuram with 888.
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