“God’s own country” Kerala which had witnessed some of the first positive Coronavirus cases in the country, has failed disastrously in tackling the outbreak despite a massive PR campaign run by the Pinarayi Vijayan government in the state.
The state currently has the second highest Coronavirus cases at 265, next only to Maharashtra, and remains far ahead of most other states insofar the number of positive cases is concerned despite the 8,000-strong transnational Tablighi Jamaat conference in South Delhi’s Nizamuddin throwing the fight against Coronavirus off-course across the country.
The hotspot of the Coronavirus outbreak in Kerala happens to be Kasaragod district of Northern Kerala. The district which happens to be the Naxal stronghold in the state of Kerala, has emerged as the biggest Coronavirus cluster on account of its Gulf connection.
There is large-scale migration of people from Kasaragod to Dubai, and of course back to Kasaragod. In fact, the Naif region in Dubai is known as mini-Kasaragod due to the heavy concentration of Kasaragod natives there who work as small-scale businessmen.
Out of the 265 Coronavirus cases in Kerala, a little less than 40 per cent, 108 to be precise are concentrated in this Northern Kerala district. As a matter of fact, 75 of the cases in the district are Dubai returnees, manifesting a direct and undoubtable link with the Kasaragod-Dubai-Kasaragod travel chain.
The Naif region from where Kasaragod seems to have imported the novel virus, itself happens to be a densely populated area with people from different nationalities- India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Philippines, Nepal and even China running their businesses there, shaping it up perfectly for the spread of the virus to other countries.
Meanwhile, authorities in the Kasaragod region have taken note of the situation, and the District Collector Sajith Babu said, “People who came from Dubai after February 20, specially from the region Naif have to report at the nearby PHC, even if they don’t have any symptoms. There are many people from Kasaragod working in the area.”
However, this is exactly where the shortcomings of the propagandist Communist regime in Kerala come to the fore. While the Communist regime in Kerala has been constantly a festering a sense of chauvinism and superiority complex in the state about being superior to the rest of the country in terms of healthcare infrastructure, Kasaragod happens to have the lowest proportion of medical institutions in the state.
The poor medical infrastructure in the district has been further debilitated with the Coronavirus outbreak. It has been two months since the first Coronavirus case came up in Kasaragod. Later, the Indian Medical Association (IMA), Cochin branch had also sounded warning bells predicting that around 65 lakh people in the state are at the risk of contracting the novel Wuhan virus.
But despite such ominous signs, coupled with multiple cases of Coronavirus suspects and patients jumping isolation centres in Kerala, the Pinarayi Vijayan government made no sincere effort to boost the medical infrastructure in the district or to bolster its quarantine facilities.
Moreover, there is a complete breakdown of the law and order machinery as well. Recently, the health officials in Kasaragod were attacked during a Coronavirus awareness campaign and later four policemen including a Sub-Inspector were injured as a group clashed with them when they evacuated the health officials.
Owing to the shoddy management of the Coronavirus outbreak by the Kerala government, the residents of Kasaragod, many of whom are in home quarantine find themselves in a tight spot. Earlier, Kasaragod was completely dependent upon the state of Karnataka for medical care in face of years of neglect by the left regime in Kerala.
But now the interstate borders are sealed in the background of the 21-day lockdown. The state of Kerala which doesn’t seem to be bothered about anything apart from its PR campaign is now involved in an ugly spat with the Karnataka government.
For some absurd reason, the Pinarayi Vijayan government believes that the Karnataka government should be held responsible for the former’s gross negligence. And in the midst of this unconscionable political bickering by Kerala’s Communist regime, it is the people of Kasaragod who find themselves stranded.
