Updated 19 October 2020 at 20:19 IST
Kerala CM reacts to COVID criticism, says remark should be taken in a 'constructive way'
Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan responded to the criticism by Harsh Vardhan saying that the nation should take his remark in a "constructive way."
- India News
- 2 min read
After Union Health Minister Harsh Vardhan hit out at the Kerala Government over the rising COVID-19 cases in the state, Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan responded to the criticism saying that the nation should take his remark in a "constructive way." The Kerala CM remarked that India was looking forward to many festivals in the coming months and that it was important to "not let our guards down."
"Union Health Minister had always praised Kerala for our COVID-19 activities. His remark regarding Onam should be seen in a constructive way because many festivals are coming in North India. We should not let off our guard," said Pinarayi Vijayan.
The Kerala CM however did not mince his words when it comes to opposition parties. Slamming them for using the Health Minister's remarks as an opportunity to hit out at Kerala he said, "Some people are trying to defame Kerala without understanding facts regarding COVID-19 containment by state govt. Kerala was the first state to report COVID in India and at that stage, we contained it successfully. We were the first state to come up with COVID protocol."
"It is not true that during Onam festival, the Kerala Government gave many relaxations. When the Kerala Government was focusing on COVID-19 activities, the opposition parties sent the wrong message to society by organizing large scale protests violating all COVID-19 protocol," he said.
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Health Minister Kerala Government
Union Health Minister Harsh Vardhan on October 18, said that Kerala was paying the "price for gross negligence" during Onam festivities when the government had ordered the unlocking of many services for trade and tourism.
Harsh Vardhan blamed the roll-back of restrictions during Onam for the rising cases in the state, saying that Kerala should be taken as an example for what could happen if states became negligent ahead of the festive season. “The epi curve of Kerala changed completely due to Onam festivities across the state. The daily new cases nearly doubled," Harsh Vardhan said.
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Kerala's COVID-19 tally has crossed 3.47 lakh while the toll climbed to 1,182 on Monday with nearly 5,022 new cases. Prior to Onam, i.e- August 22, the state had reported around 54,000 cases, while the death toll was nearly 200.
(With Agency Inputs)
Published By : Ananya Varma
Published On: 19 October 2020 at 20:19 IST