Kerala prepares for Eid Al Fitr under lockdown
TRIVANDRUM: Muslims in the southern state of Kerala, home to a large number of expatriates, are preparing for celebrating Eid Al Fitr on Thursday amid surging COVID-19 infections.
Governor Arif Mohammed Khan, in a message on the eve of the festival Wednesday, greeted people of Kerala origin all over the world on the solemn occasion of Eid Al Fitr.
May the celestial light of kindness and brotherhood brighten our lives during Ramadan and at all times, strengthening our actions in our way forward,” he said.
“Eid-al-fitr celebrates the sanctity of selfdiscipline, sacrifice and charity in human lives, and the fasting awakens us to the need to ensure a hunger-free, happier world.”
Qazis of different regions have asked believers to limit celebrations to their homes as the state government has enforced a strict lockdown to contain the virus surge.
The authorities have also arranged doordelivery of essential goods, including meat, in association with local governments.
Hundreds of thousands of people, mostly daily-wage labourers, have also been thrown out of their jobs as the authorities restricted the movement of the people.
The Indian Medical Association (IMA) said the pandemic is entering its “fiercest stage” in Kerala and all hospitals, both public and private, are “overflowing” with patients.
The professional body’s state chapter president Dr PT Zackarias and secretary Dr P Gopikumar said they had launched an awareness programme on homecare.
They will start online classes at 2.30 pm on Thursday on the Zoom conferencing plaform for volunteers on caregiving to patients who do not require hospitalisation.
The state reported 37,290 new infections on Tuesday, taking the total active cases to 423,957, with a test-positivity rate of 26.77 per cent.
With 79 more fatalities, the highest since the pandemic began last year, the official death toll has reached 5,959 though the experts say the numbers are much higher.
The admissions to the intensive care units (ICU) have also more than doubled in the last ten days and currently, more than 1,400 patients are on ventilator support.
Kerala has 7,047 ICU beds and 1,905 ventilators but all these facilities can’t be utilised for Covid care and the demand is growing.
Meanwhile, more hospitals requested the health authorities to ensure a steady supply of liquid medical oxygen as their stocks were depleting fast.
Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan said steps have been taken to reduce oxygen wastage and optimise the usage as there are reports of overuse.