The southern state of Kerala on Tuesday reported a record 1,758 new coronavirus cases, with Thiruvananthapuram district accounting for over one fourth of this figure, even as the state's total cases neared the 50,000-mark.
After getting bouquets for its fight against the coronavirus in the early days of pandemic, Kerala seems to be facing an uphill task on this front.
However, certain residents of the state seem unfazed by the figures and have come up with bizarre ideas to amp up their business.
An electronic goods shop courted controversy for an advertisement urging people to get infected with the deadly virus in 24 hours to avail a cashback of Rs 50,000.
The advertisement was carried across newspapers in the state, which promised a cashback of Rs,50,000 without GST.
It didn’t take long for locals to throng at the shop, which led to the state administration to take strict action against the owners.
A lawyer from Pala Municipality in Kottayam also wrote a letter to state chief minister Pinarayi Vijayan to term the promotional offer unlawful and punishable, reports India.com.
As a part of the state’s Unlock 3 guidelines, only 20 people are allowed inside any major shop.
Health Minister KK Shailaja said in a statement here on Tuesday that 1,758 new corona positive cases were detected, the highest single-day increase in the state.
At present there 16,274 active cases, while 31,394 patients have been cured of the disease.
"On Tuesday, 1,365 patients were cured. Of the 1,758 new cases, Thiruvananthapuram district had the highest share at 489. Likewise, 1,641 persons are local infectees and here too the capital district led with 476," said Shailaja.
At present, 1,65,564 persons are under observation at various places, including 13,633 in various hospitals. There are 565 corona hotspots in the state.
The weekly cabinet meeting scheduled for Wednesday has now been postponed to Saturday, as CM Vijayan and seven of his Cabinet colleagues are in isolation after a visit to plane crash site at the Karipur airport on August 8.
