has Thiruvananthapuram: Only three new COVID-19 cases were reported Tuesday in Kerala. All were in the Wayanad district. For the past two days the state did not register a single new case. In all 502 positive cases of coronavirus had emerged in Kerala. At present there are 37 patients under treatment.
“A total of 21,342 people are under observation at their homes. Three hundred and eight others have been kept under observation at different hospitals across Kerala,” said Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan. “Today there are 84 hotspots in the state. Four of the 14 districts are COVID-19 free.
Not complacent
However, in spite of an enviable track record Kerala is not ready to lower its guard and bask in glory. Pinarayi Vijayan has time and again reminded everyone that Kerala cannot afford to be complacent.
“We cannot say we have crossed the danger mark or that the danger of community spread no longer exists. We need to be very careful,” Vijayan had told reporters.
Efforts lauded
Kerala has been receiving accolades for having seemingly ‘flattenend the curve’ of COVID-19 cases. International media, including the BBC, Al Jazeera and Washington Post have praised the ‘Kerala model’ of fighting the pandemic.
Kerala’s achievement comes at at a time when neighbouring Tamil Nadu and Karnataka are seeing a surge in COVID-19 positive cases.
Fighting COVID-19 in a scientific manner
Kerala Home Secretary Vishwas Mehta accepted that the recovery rate in the state was faster in comparison to other. He said Kerala was fighting the pandemic in a much more scientific manner, but the threat was far from over.
“The threat is not over. For the simple reason that till we get a vaccine, this will continue all over the world. The recovery in Kerala is fast. We are hovering down. No one is tackling the pandemic as scientifically as we are doing,” Mehta said.
People need to be more careful and not be irresponsible in dealing with the ‘invisible enemy’. The virus will affect those who do not have immunity or have bad health. People must use masks and maintain social distancing. We need to maintain our vigil and continue our fight against COVID-19,” Mehta added.
Wearing of masks mandatory
Kerala has made wearing masks mandatory and has imposed a fine of Rs 5,000 for repeat offenders. Lessons learnt during the outbreak of the 2018 Nipah virus has helped Kerala tackle COVID-19 in a scientific manner. The Nipah virus had claimed 17 lives in Kozhikode and Malappuram.
Early preparations
Kerala Health Minister KK Shailaja had said that Kerala began its preparations when news broke of the outbreak of COVID-19 at Wuhan. The state had many medical students studying in Wuhan and knew that they would be returning.
India’s first three cases were from Kerala and by the time they showed some symptoms, they had been already been in isolation in hospitals.
Agencies