'Critical flaws in government's Covid-19 response strategy, says Ramesh Chennithala, CM dismisses charge

Congress leader Ramesh Chennithala on Wednesday alleged that there were 'critical flaws' in the government's Covid-19 response and containment strategies and even in the discharge policy, a charge dismissed by Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan.

The containment strategy was "limited to the self aggrandisement in the regular evening press conference of the Chief Minister" and the government was infected by "PR pandemic and self promotion", he told reporters here.

The Chief Minister later in the day dismissed the charge, saying that the leader of the opposition was oblivious to the government's new discharge policy, revised as per the directions of the expert panel and details of which had been stated at an earlier press meet.

"It seems the Opposition Leader is oblivious to the revised discharge policy of the state government, which was finalised as per the directions of the expert panel.

The patient will be discharged only if he/she tests negative unlike some other states where the patient is discharged after 10 days if he/she is unsymptomatic," the Chief Minister said at his daily Covid-19 press briefing.

He said neither the WHO, ICMR, the central government or other experts in this field had expressed any reservations to the policies adopted by the state government.

Vijayan also said that the global policy is based on the test positivity rate and test per million rate and "at one point of time Kerala was leading in the world itself". He pointed out that the discharge policy had only been revised and not changed despite the rise in the number of cases in Kerala.

"When the whole society is facing the pandemic together, it is unfortunate that the Opposition is trying to weaken our fight against it," Vijayan added. The Chief Minister also said that Kerala was ensuring the best of treatment to Covid-19 patients free of cost.