THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: An all-party meeting, convened by the chief minister here on Tuesday to discuss steps to arrest Covid spread, agreed on limiting the number of people at social functions as well as during political protests, even as it ruled out lockdown as a solution to tackle the worsening situation.Briefing reporters on the outcome of the all-party meet, Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan said the parties were of the view that a united effort was necessary to tackle the pandemic and extended support to the interventions planned by the government to ensure strict adherence to Covid protocol.
Pinarayi said representatives of various political parties agreed that only a limited number of people should be present at social and political events. He said the government will bring out new guidelines on limiting crowds on the basis of the consensus arrived at the meeting.
The chief minister said the UDF had already suspended protests realising the gravity of the situation. About the BJP’s stance that it will not stop its protests, Pinarayi said the saffron party has, however, agreed to conduct such protests adhering to protocol. The CM also called on political parties to sensitise people at the local level on the importance of following Covid protocol.
The Congress pointed out that there has not been much progress on the number of tests conducted everyday. KPCC vice-president Sooranad Rajasekharan, who attended the meeting, urged local bodies to intervene more effectively to prevent the Covid spread.The main Opposition party also suggested operating more buses to prevent crowding and criticised the government over lack of clarity in the guidelines on treating high-risk and non-Covid patients.
Cong criticises govt
Congress criticises govt over lack of clarity in the guidelines on treating high-risk and non-Covid patients
BJP says it will not stop its protests
CM asks political parties to sensitise people on Covid protocol