The Chief Minister also announced that work is underway to set up first-line treatment centres in all the panchayats. A centre with at least 100 beds will be started in each panchayat. The additional health workers required for its implementation will also be mobilised, especially those who can be deployed on an emergency basis.

“A decision was made to mobilize all the health workers and expand our Covid preventive measures. We can only move forward with an inclusive system that can deploy not only those associated with government hospitals but also those working in private hospitals and clinics in the health sector, including students. We expect the private hospitals and clinics will cooperate well with this. The LSG bodies will take the initiative for implementing this”, the CM said.

The Chief Minister also added that some people are spreading false and misleading information about Covid and asked the public to be cautious against such propaganda. “We have been able to effectively control the death toll from Covid so far as a result of the tireless efforts and the vigilance of our society. Kerala’s population density is almost double the national average and this makes it vulnerable to the disease spreading fast. If so, the mortality rate will definitely increase. Any carelessness on our part can lead to a disaster.”

The CM also announced that separate quarantine centres would be set up for police personnel in all the 14 districts.

Minister of Health & Social Justice, Smt K K Shailaja; Revenue Minister, Shri E Chandrasekharan, and Chief Secretary, Dr Vishwas Mehta IAS, were also present for the media briefing.