Thread by @jamewils

Heard about early detection and containment?

Enough literature is available online, if anyone want to get really educated.

Kerala chased the virus early by testing vigorously while others drag their feet, that is its success!

Of course, Kerala should now do more sentinel tests

https://twitter.com/kapsology/status/1258003039274885120

You can have two type of strategy and governance models

First is sit idle and let the imported cases spread to your society, without their knowledge, this virus is long asymptomatic!

Then do panic testing when things go out of control..That is adopted by most of Govts in India

The next type of Governance model is understand the nuances and respect the opinion of scientific community.

So try to chase, trace, catch & isolate cases from day one. Don't let the virus to spread through innocent carriers.

Don't blame or shame them, treat them with diginity

Understand that no one who got infected with this deadly virus roam around without getting treated..

This virus is asymptomatic for even one month, so if you don't catch an infected person early, he will spread that unknowingly to anyone who got contact with him.

I opined my strong disagreement with some of enthusiastic CPM supporters blame an Italian family in Kerala, because anyone who go through airports know there are many loop holes, they deliberately not sneaked out, it was a mistake

This is not a cricket match also! Government systems has its strengths and limitations too!

I worked with the top bureaucracy and political leadership for last 18 years, so I know the strength and weakness of the system very well

We did not screen all people coming to India, limiting that to a couple of countries, totally ignoring the fact that international airports and flights are enabling mix of an infected person to people from other destinations.

But civil aviation policy is not decided by States!

Secondly MoHFW stick with thermal screening though their scientists in ICMR warned them it will not be able to detect around 50% of the infections due to the asymptomatic nature of the virus!

Now with growing evidence of 3 weeks to 4 weeks asymptomatic nature, that swells to 80%

Kerala had super spreaders, came from the Gulf countries, we had a big cluster in Kasargod.

But our Government did not blame or shame anyone, we worked hard to educate people, chased and traced and isolated the people.

That way we worked with the Government leadership

Their name may be Ram, Rahim or Roy. But Kerala did never ever given a communal colour to these people. We are not perfect, no society is!

There are people who gone overboard and taunted journalists who questioned some policies by Government.

Govts should be questioned!

A pandemic is not a blanket license to bulldoze civil rights or an occasion to brush aside our Constitutionally guaranteed rights!

The questions help every Government to be alert and the civil society to acknowledge the importance of our privacy.

Don't brush it as agenda

That is the beauty of democracy!

Opposition has a job of constructive criticism, media job is not of a sonographer.

We as individual citizens are not blind believers, we should question, support and independently evaluate Govt actions.

That is how Kerala progressed!

That is the very reason I did not my loyalty to any political party.

Of course, during my college days, I was thick and part of SFI and got elected too. But when I passed my teenage, I decided to support politics based on larger questions of my ethics, so I distanced from all

I worked with all CMs and Irrigation Ministers of Kerala between 2001 to 2019. I seen their strengths and weakness from very close quarters. I respect their hardwork, leadership qualities, decision making powers irrespective of their political ideology.

We are lucky to have them

Being engaged in Inter State waters, I am lucky to engage with the top bureaucracy and political leadership at my neighbouring States and also national leadership and Delhi babus.

So I compare my State and system with others. I evaluate in a critical manner, because it helps!

I believe that we each individual has a responsibility to our society too. We should give back our bit to the people around us.

So when I tweeted about the false narratives peddled about Kerala floods, many Congress friends got upset and they labelled me as a commie! 🤪

Let me make it clear, as many believed themselves, it was not my responsibility to advise Govt on operating dams then..my job profile was completely different! I only have to deal then with monitoring of Mullaperiyar dam.

I really shocked to see many learnt people politicised the Kerala floods and in my opinion that was the biggest crime they have done to a literate society.

Now I can show you how extreme floods and pandemic are similar in nature!

So I will write in detail about that later.

Here, now in this case of COVID, when I start commenting on certain policies, I strongly believe that in the long run going to be detrimental to our society, some got irritated and labelled me as Congress bhakt.

Thank God, none of mallu friends from both LDF & UDF gang did not accuse me that I am a BJP stooge!

Then I put my opinions based on evidence and facts here, you are at liberty to follow or unfollow me.

I am for civilised debate & if u are a bhakt of any shade, I use block ;)

I don't want to please any political party or any leader, like their cadres do!

Because I am content with what life offered me, I don't let my principles to gain for any position.

I quit when I feel I need to surrender my logic and reasoning.

That freedom I relish more!

At national level, thanks again, the subject I dealt for last 18 years, I have a lot of friends from AAP and BJP leadership at Delhi too!

I met them through various channels of social media like Facebook and Twitter.

But that doesn't prevent me from saying what I feel right

So I answered @kapsology whom I met in Delhi. His conjectures are political rant rather than a reasoned one!

END.

PS: Another State done a similar strategy like Kerala is Chattisgarh.