Kannur/ Kozhikode: Did Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan and his family members violate COVID-19 protocol and thereby expose others to the coronavirus? Visuals on his discharge from the Kozhikode Medical College Hospital on Wednesday soon after he was declared cured of the fast-spreading disease suggest the leader threw caution to the wind.
When the Chief Minister got discharged from the hospital on Wednesday evening his wife Kamala had tested positive for COVID-19. She was not wearing a PPE kit as she accompanied the CM in the car. She was seen just wearing a mask. Their grandson, security and the driver were also with them. Also, several people had turned up at the hospital to see off the CM, suggesting the family has likely become a super-spreader of the disease.
Moreover, the CM left the hospital within a week of turning positive for the disease and getting admitted. As per the guidelines the tests should be held on the 10th day of turning positive, but the CM underwent the test on the seventh day and was declared cured. Immediately, he was allowed discharge by the MCH authorities.
Health Minister KK Shailaja said that the CM has not violated the protocol. "Both the central government and ICMR have stated that an individual can be discharged from the hospital if there are no symptoms," she explained.
Chief Secretary V P Joy and Health Department Principal Secretary Rajan Khobragade evaded questions on this.
Currently, Pinarayi is in home quarantine after recovering from COVID-19.
Adding to concerns, the Kozhikode Medical College Hospital authorities said that the CM had symptoms from April 4. Thousands of people had taken part in a roadshow held by the CM at Dharmadom in Kannur on April 4. He cast his vote on April 6 during the state Assembly elections and also interacted with several people.
On April 8, it was announced that the CM was COVID positive and he was admitted to the Kozhikode Medical College Hospital. As per this, the next test should have been held on April 18.
