THIRUVANANTHAPURAM : No fresh case of Covid-19 has been reported since Monday in the State today, said Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan. The news comes as a relief. 7861 more persons have been placed under observation while 4622 have been let off the radar. CM was speaking to media after a meeting assessing Covid risk, held in the capital on Wednesday.
Preventive efforts are being strengthened to cope up with the situation. All steps shall be taken to ensure this, said CM. If the disease spreads, the consequences could be dire. Observing guidelines strictly is the only way out. Religious leaders are now convinced that prayers held in mosques and churches respectively on Friday and Sunday need curbs. Festivals and Pongalas at temples should be shrunk to symbolic rituals.
Pattallapally mosque in Kozhikode has announced cancellation of its Juma prayers on Friday, said CM. They have also put off mass prayer. It is an ideal approach for others to follow. At Pathanamthitta, they have set a role model by deciding that no more than 10 persons would participate in any given ritual.
Office bearers at Kodungaloor temple have informed that steps are in place to keep devotees to the minimum during Bharani. Everybody should refrain from participating in large gatherings, CM said.
The Supreme Court and High Court have expressed satisfaction at mitigation strategies adopted by Kerala. The observation lends zeal to our efforts, said CM.
All things said, we must also seriously consider the possibility of Covid getting beyond control. The situation calls for plugging all holes in preventive strategies. The govt shall take all steps to ensure this, said CM. Efforts to contain Covid are being improvised and constatntly upgraded. Life should eventually return to normal. To usher this, we should be willing to subject ourselves to rigors of screening.
The numbers of treatment facilities have to be raised in all regions. OP will remain open at PHCs up to late evening. Evening OP counters will however not operate at facilities that are not Family Health Centres. Steps will be taken to ensure that doctors are available at all PHCs up to evening. The govt will try to recruit doctors locally for this purpose, said CM.
Steps are being taken to set up units for manufacturing adequate amounts of masks and sanitizers. Some individuals who have booked marriage halls are postponing the ceremony. Owners of these halls must refund the monies in such cases, CM said. District administration has been instructed to oversee such situations. Outlets where home-deliveries can be worked should encourage remote shopping to prevent people from flocking to their place. Shop owners should ensure that delivery staff follow safety instructions when out to offload goods.
We should stay prepared to deal with worsened conditions. That would mean recuitment of more doctors. For this, the Health Department is preparing a list of retired doctors too, CM said.
