Kerala govt issues COVID-19 guidelines after alert by Centre: State health minister

Thiruvananthapuram: Kerala Health Minister Veena George on Wednesday said that state government has issued guidelines for COVID-19 on the basis of an alert by the Centre.

While addressing the press, George said that while the state has not reported the new BF.7 variant, the state government had issued the Covid-19 guidelines after receiving alert from the union government.

"These guidelines from the union government are not new. Since the beginning of the Covid-19 pandemic, our government has always pushed the citizens to follow the Covid-19 protocols including using masks, sanitizers, and observing social distancing. This is a routine thing," George said.

Commenting on the BF.7 variant in the state, the state health minister said that the government is doing genome sequencing and have found no variant in the state.

Apart from Covid-19, the health minister also announced that the state recorded the least number of food poisoning cases owing to the priority given to food safety. She also said that the government is planning to change the system to ensure food safety and hygiene in the state.