The work that Kerala has done while handling Covid-19 has set the bar very high for other states and has earned global recognition for the state in the handling of covid-19.
Mumbai| The Covid-19 outbreak in multiple countries has caused economic slowdown all around the world and has confined everyone in their houses. Schools, universities have been closed down, big tech companies have announced ‘work from home’ policy for employees. There has been much news of people hoarding up sanitizers, masks and toilet papers because of the panic situation. The stock market has faced major blowback as D-street saw a bloodbath after the Yes Bank collapse and Coronavirus pandemic.
Meanwhile, one southern state of our country is setting examples. It has always been a little different than other states in a matter of literacy, food choices, ideology, and politics. While other states saw a surge of toxic nationalism around religion, Kerala shined like a bright example of how a secular democracy should work. Kerala has successfully managed to let all religions co-exist peacefully.
The work that Kerala has done while handling Covid-19 has set the bar very high for other states and has earned global recognition for the state in the handling of covid-19. Kerala has somehow seen the attack of the virus more than other states, making Kerala the second state in the list of most affected states. Only Maharashtra has more cases than Kerala.
Far high by the standards of the model developed by a small state of a third world country, Kerala has shown an effective plan to even developed countries on how to cope up with the coronavirus emergency.
Although, it’s not the first time that the state is fighting with a deadly virus. In 2018, Kerala had to face the Nipah Virus, which was very bravely tackled and the state emerged successfully through it. The state faces the same difficulty 2 years down the line, but now it has prior experience and machinery to fight the virus.
How to Communicate?
The first and most important thing Kerala did was to inform and educate all the citizens about the coronavirus, for which they used any and every possible mode of communication.
Kerala’s Health Minister KK Shailaja Teacher made sure that there is a daily briefing to the press about the updates on how the government is tackling the virus. It also ensured that the citizens of the state are informed and aware of the situation in the state.
The updates were so efficiently communicated to the every person in the state about road maps of places where the infected people have visited, that citizens who consumed the information isolated themselves and restricted movement in affected areas. Those with symptoms contacted the health authorities.
Not relying on social media too much, the communication path has been set as such that even a villager in the state is informed on the updates by his local leader. By clearing the air around fake news traveling through social media, the Kerala govt. has joined hands with the opposition parties to run a campaign on public awareness around the hand hygiene and public education.
What if you are symptomatic?
Travelers, no matter which country they came from, were screened for unusual symptoms and the details of the passengers were noted in case they required to call the passenger at a later stage. People who appeared symptomatic were transported in an ambulance to a district hospital where they would be kept in an isolation ward. Other people, who felt symptomatic, were told to visit the district hospital or local authority.
On the ground, there are health workers, who visit every household to check for symptoms. At the same time, the state government has also recruited and trained health volunteers.
“We have been keeping surveillance on home quarantined persons through mobile tracking. But we found that some persons are not following the instructions. So we have decided to monitor them through house visits and brief them about the risks of breaking the home quarantine instructions. A team consisting of a health worker, police official, and health volunteer will visit every home where persons are quarantined and verify their status.” Says Kerala Health Minister Shailaja Teacher.
Vigilante but not scared
The citizens have been told to be alert and take precautions. Wedding, religious events or public gatherings of any sort in large numbers have been called off.
Prisoners Contribute
In an unprecedented move, to tackle the shortage of face masks, the inmates of tailoring units in prisons of Thiruvananthapuram, Viyyur, and Kannur were given a task to make two-layer washable and reusable masks with 15-20 Rs price.
Break the Chain
The state started a massive handwashing campaign called ‘break the chain’. Inaugurated by Health Minister Shailaja Teacher, the campaign will educate people on the importance of hygiene to protect them and their communities from coronavirus.
“We are able to minimize the spread of the deadly virus with early surveillance and people’s support. Now we need to follow personal hygiene as a healthy habit and wash our hands and face whenever we are in public contact. By doing it, we will be able to break the chain of virus infection.” the health minister said.
Rs. 20,000 Crore Package
The chief minister of state Pinarayi Vijayan announced the package worth 20,000 crores, out of which 500 crores will go for health initiatives whereas 2000 Crores will go for loans and providing rations such as rice for a month.
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