Kerala reports highest single-day spike of 9,258 new COVID-19 cases, imposes prohibitory orders
Thiruvananthapuram: Kerala on Friday recorded 9,258 positive cases and 4,092 recoveries, the highest single-day spike and recoveries respectively, as the government decided to prohibit an assembly of more than five people to control the spread of the virus.
The infection count touched 2,12,499 today while the death toll rose to 791 with 20 new fatalities.
In the last 24 hours, 63,175 samples have been tested and so far 30,49,791 samples have been sent for testing.
Four districts reported over 1000 cases, the highest from Kozhikode 1146, Thiruvananthapuram 1096, Ernakulam 1042 and Malappuram 1016, while Kollam accounted for 892 cases and Thrissur 812.
While 77,482 people are presently under treatment, 1,35,144 have recovered from the disease, Health minister K K Shailaja said in a release.
Of the positive cases, 8,274 were infected through contact and the source of infection 657 is not known, while 47 had come from abroad and 184 from other states, the minister said in a press release.
Ninety-three health workers are among the infected.
According to the release, 2,46,631 people are under observation, including 30,853 in various hospitals.
Today 63 new hotspots were declared and 15 areas were removed from the list.
Chief Secretary Vishwas Mehta on Thursday had stated that section 144 CrPC would be imposed from Saturday as gatherings pose an impending danger of a super spread of the infection.
The state has been witnessing a steep rise in cases in the past few days.
Revenue minister E Chandrasekharan said each district collector will take a decision with regard to the prohibitory order depending on the situation in their respective districts.
DGP Loknath Behera said crowding in public places like parks and beaches will not be permitted.
Meanwhile, Thiruvananthapuram district collector Navjot Khosa has issued an order prohibiting the gathering of more than five people in public places in the district.
Within containment zones, any congregation or public function (indoor and outdoor) of more than five people will not be allowed, except for marriages and Funerals where up to 20 persons would be permitted, the order stated.
Only essential activities like selling essential groceries, medicines, and food items such as milk and vegetables would be allowed.
In areas outside containment zones, congregation or public function of more than five people in outdoor spaces is prohibited, the collector stated.
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EC dismisses scope for wrongdoing at strongrooms; prohibitory orders around Kolkata counting centres
Kolkata (PTI): A day after West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee spent hours at the EVM strongroom of her Bhabanipur constituency alleging possibilities of malpractices, Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) Manoj Agarwal on Friday asserted there is no scope for wrongdoing at the counting centres.
Following tensions around two counting centres in Kolkata late on Thursday, police clamped prohibitory orders on gatherings outside all seven strongrooms in the city.
Stating that round-the-clock CCTV monitoring of strongrooms was in place, Agarwal dismissed the allegations as "baseless".
TMC spokesperson and Beleghata constituency candidate Kunal Ghosh said that party workers and poll aspirants were keeping a strict vigil at the counting centres, where the EVMs are stored in strongrooms, upon directions of party supremo Mamata Banerjee.
"There is no scope for any wrongdoing given the arrangements made to secure the EVMs. The Centres have been kept under thorough CCTV coverage and their live-streamed footage can be seen from outside," Agarwal told reporters.
"One should have reason and evidence for making allegations," he said, maintaining that there were no grounds for levelling charges of EVM tampering or pre-counting malpractice.
Two counting centres in Kolkata witnessed high drama late on Thursday evening after TMC leaders alleged a lack of transparency and possible malpractice at the strongrooms housing sealed EVMs of the assembly polls, which concluded on April 29.
Mamata Banerjee herself landed up at the Sakhawat Memorial School counting centre and stayed put there for about four hours. She emerged from the premises past midnight and warned against any attempts to tamper with the counting process, demanding greater transparency.
TMC leaders and candidates Sashi Panja and Kunal Ghosh held a sit-in outside the Khudiram Anushilan Kendra counting centre on Thursday evening, alleging unauthorised activities inside the strongroom amid the absence of TMC agents.
Matters came to a head after a large number of supporters from both TMC and BJP camps gathered outside the venue, shouting slogans till they were dispersed by security forces.
The EC, however, dismissed the claim, clarifying that poll officials were engaged in the task of segregating postal ballots as per due process and the strongrooms remained secure, asserting all political parties for the mandatory segregation activity were duly notified.
On Friday, Kolkata Police imposed prohibitory orders under Section 163 of the BNSS around all seven designated strong rooms in the city.
As per the order issued by Police Commissioner Ajay Nand, the restrictions prohibited the assembly of five or more persons within a 200-metre radius of each strongroom, along with a ban on processions, demonstrations, and carrying of weapons or explosive materials.
The measure, which aims to prevent any breach of peace, violence, or disturbance during the storage of ballot papers and polled EVMs, will remain in force until the commencement of counting on May 4.
Besides the two counting centres in question, the prohibitory orders were also clamped around the Hastings House complex, APC Polytechnic College, St. Thomas Boys' High School, Ballygunge Government High School and the David Hare Training College counting premises.
A senior police officer said enhanced security arrangements have been made at Khudiram Anushilan Kendra, the counting centre for several assembly seats in north and east Kolkata housing EVM strong rooms.
"Additional CAPFs and armed police forces have also been deployed under the supervision of an additional commissioner and a deputy commissioner of police," Joint Commissioner of Police (Traffic), Kolkata, Rupesh Kumar, told reporters after visiting the area.
Expressing apprehension that unauthorised movements might occur when a section of postal ballots is brought in the evening, Kunal Ghosh said on Friday morning that the party's polling agents and candidates have been alerted about the matter.
Minister Shashi Panja, who also arrived at Khudiram Anushilan Kendra in the morning, maintained that "transparency" should be ensured for all strongroom activities.
Ghosh told reporters on Friday that though they had seen some movement in a strongroom that allegedly stored postal ballots, there was no such movement on Friday morning.
Meanwhile, Banerjee's challenger at Bhabanipur and BJP leader Suvendu Adhikari took a dig at the chief minister for her late-night visit to the counting centre.
"I want to reassure the people of Bhabanipur and of West Bengal that the TMC candidate and outgoing chief minister was prevented from taking any additional advantage. Despite her best intentions to the contrary, she wasn't allowed to act in violation of rules," Adhikari wrote on social media platforms, posting a picture of Banerjee sitting at what appeared to be an area outside the counting centre strong room.
"Till such time she was present there, my election agent, advocate Surjyanil Das personally positioned himself at the spot keeping a tight watch on her so that she isn't able to take recourse to improper means," he added.
Security forces kept a strict vigil in and around counting centres and strongrooms in Kolkata and other districts where EVM machines used in the state assembly elections are stored, an official said.
Sakhawat Memorial School in south Kolkata's Bhabanipur, which saw high drama till the early hours of Friday with the chief minister spending several hours at the counting centre, wore a peaceful look in the morning with security personnel guarding the area.
