Eid relaxations, unscientific lockdown led to spike in COVID cases in Kerala: Union minister

'Every Saturday, Sunday is lockdown. As a result, people rush to markets on Friday'

ITDC INDIA EPRESS/ ITDC NEWS Even as Kerala is witnessing an alarming increase in COVID-19 cases, Union Minister of State for External Affairs V. Muraleedharan accused the state government of failing to follow "scientific principles" in the management of the pandemic.

The number of cases in Kerala has increased to such an extent that now it is more than half of the total tally of the country, the minister observed. Of the 43,509 new coronavirus infections reported on Thursday, Kerala's tally was 22,056.

The Union minister pointed out that the state government's decision to allow relaxations for Eid was “completely unscientific” and “completely against principles.” “The relaxation that has been given is not on the basis of cases increasing or decreasing, it is on political and vote bank considerations,” news agency ANI quoted Muraleedharan as saying.

The decision of the Pinarayi Vijayan government to allow functioning of footwear shops, jewellery, fancy stores, shops selling home appliances and electronic items, all types of repairing shops and shops selling essential items on July 18, 19 and 20 from 7 AM to 8 PM ahead of Eid had attracted much criticism, with the Supreme Court seeking an explanation from the government over the move. The Indian Medical Association (IMA) had said it was "unfortunate that learned state of Kerala had taken these retrograde decisions," even as "many northern states like Jammu and Kashmir, Uttar Pradesh, and Uttaranchal have stopped, with a constructive sense of public safety the traditional and popular pilgrimage yatras."