The daily press conference of the chief minister Pinarayi Vijayan is an epitome of proficient health and disaster communication.
The world is held in a quagmire due to this novel virus. The virus which exhibits a pure socialist behaviour in infecting the whole globe without any sort of discrimination has brought the world into a stage which it has never encountered before. No country is outside the gamut of this hazard, however, some have decided to handle it efficiently. This piece is about such a dexterous and effectual managing of this literally recalcitrant contagion by the tail end state in India. Kerala, located in the southern tip of the Indian sub-continent has ingrained the name in the annals of political history books through bringing the first communist government to power through ballots. However, the enviable performance of Kerala in health, education and other spectrums of social development have always brought this state into the spotlight. Unarguably, in handling the epidemic disaster management Kerala is the torch-bearer of the world’s second-largest populated country. Interestingly, the government of Kerala is exhibiting one of the most magnificent performances of handling the pandemic. It is one of the first states in the country to proclaim relief funds for the people. Community kitchens to avoid starvations, online delivery of essentials through a well-connected public distribution system, meticulous public health system to contain the hazard to any extent etc. are few examples of the prudent actions of the state machinery. The daily press conference of the chief minister Pinarayi Vijayan is an epitome of proficient health and disaster communication. All the disinformation and misinformation are culled and aid, security and a diaphanous hope are assured through the telecast. An adequate supply of food for even stray dogs is provided by the government to avoid serious repercussions of the lockdown. Importantly, the statement by the CM during his press conference regarding the brewing social stigma against NRIs, who happens to be the virus carriers to the state, was loud and clear. “Their sweat became our staple diet” comment was resounding enough to reach the whole mass and to arrest the chafe.
Notably, Kerala is home to one of the largest numbers of immigrant population in India. The significant measures of the Kerala government in detecting and isolating the COVID-19 affected people and thorough investigations regarding their socialisation and potential patients have impeded the community’s spread. It is to be noted that Kerala registered the first case of Corona in India. Since that time, the grappling measures taken by the government by making the health, home, local bodies and numerous other departments to work in tandem have anchored the wide-spread of a deadly virus. Paradoxically, Kerala is one of the alluring destinations of migrant labour in India as well. More than one lakh migrant labour is staying in the state. Whilst, the capital and other regions are witnessing a lamentable mass exodus of labourers to their home state by walking hundreds of kilometres, Kerala has taken applaudable measures to check that mass movement. Followingly, this is not a one-trick pony of the incumbent Kerala government. The efficacy of the state machinery to handle the crisis was proved during two devastating floods and a similar epidemic emanated from the Nipah virus. While the world is evaluating India as a whole, it should not miss out one of the miraculous performances by a small tail-end state.
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