With the Centre terming Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan as a COVIDIOT because of his alleged violation of pandemic protocols and the number of new persons tested positive for Covid-19 nearing 8,300 on Thursday, the State administration tightened the rules to prevent further spreading of the disease.

Earlier in the day the Union Minister of State for Parliamentary Affairs  and External Affairs said Vijayan should be addressed as  COVIDIOT because of his reckless behaviour on the day of polling (April 6) and in the subsequent days when he threw to the winds all norms specified by medical experts.

Vijayan had been admitted to the Medical College Hospital from where he was discharged on Wednesday. He is back in his palatial residence at Pinarayi where he would be recuperating for the next ten days.

The Chief Minister reportedly held a virtual meeting with other ministers and bureaucrats on Thursday where it was decided to take drastic steps to prevent the spread of the pandemic but without causing any inconvenience to the general public.

A Government Order issued after the meeting said that crowding during public and private functions would be brought under strict control. Marriages, house warming functions and other private ceremonies should be intimated to the local authorities well in advance, said the order.

Addressing the media later in the day, V P Joy, chief secretary, said all front line workers and people above the age of 45 would be checked on Friday and Saturday as part of the massive testing ordered for the next two days,

He said there was no shortage of vaccines in the State as alleged by certain people. “We have stock of more than 7 lakh doses  of vaccines and the Centre has assured us that we will be given more than two lakh doses in the nest two days,” said the Chief Secretary.

He ruled out the possibilities of total lock down and pointed out that malls and hotels

have been instructed to down the shutters by 9 pm.

Joy also disclosed that there were 1.15 crore persons in the State who are of  in the age group of 45 and above. “We will vaccinate this entire category of people and also vaccinate those below the age of 45. It has been found that persons below the age of 45 are the main carriers of the pandemic,”  he said.

The chief secretary said that the top priority of the Government was to hold the public examinations for students and he requested the general public to postpone unimportant meetings and gatherings to later dates considering the gravity of the situation.