Trivandrum: “People started coming back to Kerala by the road from May 04, by flights from May 07, by ships from May 10 and by trains from May 14. Of the 2,413 new Covid cases reported here till June 19, 2,165 cases were in people who came back to the State from other States and from overseas”, the Chief Minister, Shri Pinarayio Vijayan said.
401 flights (225 chartered flights and 176 flights under the Vande Bharat mission) and three ships have so far arrived in Kerala. A total of 71,958 people have reached the State from abroad. 137 have landed at international airports outside the state. So far, 1,048 flights have been approved with 124 consent letters.
So far, 28,114 Pravasies have returned on 154 flights from the UAE, 10,439 on 60 flights from Kuwait, 8,707 on 50 flights from Oman, 6,005 on 36 flights from Qatar, 4,309 on 26 flights from Bahrain and 7,190 on 34 flights from Saudi Arabia. Another 7,184 people have come by 44 flights from other countries also. Of the total 71,958 people, 1,524 were senior citizens, 4,898 were pregnant women and 7,193 were children. 35,327 were people who lost their jobs.
The CM also commented that with the relaxation in lockdown conditions, it has been observed that social distancing norms are not being followed at many places including shops and markets. “There is always a concern of community spread and we should take all steps to avoid that. We should make sure that all norms being strictly followed.”
Chief Minister deplores the statement of the KPCC President
The Chief Minister has criticised and came down heavily on KPCC President, Shri Mullapally Ramachandran who had made defamatory and derogatory remarks on the Health Minister regarding her role in combating the pandemic. He said it was very unbecoming of the KPCC President to make such comments and it reflects the rot in the opposition party. It was sad that the Congress Central leadership has not reacted to the party president’s statement. Despite differences in opinion, the Government has always worked closely with the opposition. He reiterated that people should not play politics with the health of the public and this is a time when everyone has to stay united and fight against the pandemic.