Coronavirus Pandemic: Kerala Reports 13 New Positive Cases, Total Count Reaches 266

Thirteen more people, including three who had returned after attending the Tablighi Jamaat congregation in New Delhi, have tested positive for coronavirus in Kerala on Monday, taking the total number of active cases to 266, Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan said.

Kasaragod, the worst affected district in the state, accounted for nine cases, while two cases were reported from Malappuram and one each from Kollam and Pathanamthitta, he told reporters after taking stock of the COVID-19 situation at a review meeting here. "Six out of the nine cases in Kasaragod are foreign returnees while three from there are the contacts of affected persons," he said.

The two people from Malappuram and one person from Kollam had returned to the state from the Tablighi congregation at Delhi last month and the new case from Pathanamthitta was also a foreign-returnee, Vijayan said. So far, the southern state has reported 327 positive cases and two fatalities.

As many as 1,52,804 people are under observation, including 795 in isolation wards across the state. In some relief for people living in the bordering district of Kasaragod, the neighbouring Karnataka, which had closed all its roads following the lockdown, has agreed to open the national highway at Talapady to enable patients, other than those infected with COVID-19, to reach Mangaluru for medical treatment, Vijayan said.

At least eight people from bordering villages of Kasaragod who required advanced treatment in Mangaluru hospitals had died since the lockdown following the closure of the national highway. "Karanataka will open Talpady check post and allow ambulances carrying people other than COVID-19 patients. A medical team of Karnataka will be stationed there and would examine the patient before allowing them to enter that state. The patients from Kerala need to carry a certificate mentioning the hospital which they plan to visit," the chief minister said.

Expressing concern about the safety of Keralites living abroad, he said the state government had the responsibility to ensure their safety as well. At least 18 Keralites in various parts of the world, including US, UK and the Gulf, have died of the virus,he said. Pointing that 51 nurses from Kerala, working in hospitals in Mumbai and Delhi, have tested positive for the virus, he said around 150 other para-medics were under observation in Mumbai. Fortysix of the affected nurses are from Mumbai and five are from Delhi.

Noting that there were allegations that the nurses were not provided with necessary personal protection equipment, he said the Kerala government has written to Maharashtra and Delhi chief ministers regarding this. The Prime Minister has also been intimated about the incident, VIjayan added. On the problems being faced by Keralites in the Gulf, he said several schools there were demanding fees from students even though they are shut due to the pandemic.

He assured that steps would be taken to discuss the matter with the school management. "Although families in gulf are financially stable, this is a crisis period even for them. The state would request them not to force people to pay fees now," he said. On his support to Prime Minister Narendra Modi's call for candlelight vigil on Apr 5 while the CPI(M) Polit Bureau itself had dubbed it as "unscientific", Vijayan said he agreed with the criticism.

"Different opinions will be there when a Prime Minister calls for an unscientific move. But when today the whole country is fighting a pandemic, we need to give importance to the words of the Prime Minister. "Many had supported that move also. I had expressed my opinion earlier itself. We are not against spreading light. But we need to spread light into lives of those who are suffering due to the pandemic. We need financial assistance for them. Hope the centre will provide it. That was my opinion," Vijayan said.

Also Read: Coronavirus Outbreak: India Sees Record 704 New Cases In 24 Hours, COVID-19 Count Jumps To 4,281

Meanwhile, the 17-member task force, constituted on the basis of the suggestion by Modi, on Monday submitted its suggestion regarding the COVID-19 situation in the state. As of Monday, Kasaragod with 128 patients has the most number of the positive cases in Kerala, followed by neighbouring Kannur with 48 and Ernakulam with 18. Kozhikode with 21,934 people has the most under observation followed by Palakkad district with 18,427.

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