Key coronavirus lesson for India: How to stop panic from spreading, the Kerala way

On February 3, Kerala detected its first case of coronavirus. It was India's first case too. The patient was a medical student who had recently returned from Wuhan, China. This would be the first of three and only cases in the state.

All three cases would be handled deftly, treated and discharged in less than a month. A ToI report highlights what all the state did, and how it went about preventing panic over the infection.

One of the first and arguably most important — steps the state took was to quell the spread of misinformation, in the process ensuring that the right information could go out and help educate the public. The airtight mechanism involved everyone from immigration officers — the first hurdle — to local level volunteers.


Furthermore, Kerala's district police chiefs are under strict orders to take action on anybody found to be circulating fake news about the viral outbreak on social media.

The state started an awareness campaign focussing on preventing infection as much as possible; they started at the ground level, from local panchayats to schools, everyone was briefed on how to handle the outbreak.

When the time came for actual physical action, the Kerala government set up checks and balances, wherever possible.

Airports have screening facilities set up for arrivals — especially those from countries with high incidence of infection — where every passenger is asked for their travel and health history. Passengers from infected countries are shifted to a transit room for a thorough check-up and if any symptoms show up they are jettisoned to a hospital.

The state is also patrolling its borders, screening entrants with a non-contact infrared thermometer to check for body temperatures.

Besides, blood banks are screening donors and conducting tests to ensure clean samples and have effectively stopped accepting blood from people who have recently arrived from outside the country.

The state has brought in a strict infection protocol - which has been sent out to all medical institutions and labs.

The government went to work as soon as the first case was detected, dispatching directives from the ground up — to panchayats and district offices informing them of the protocol. Further, they were directed to make lists of people who had been to countries affected by the virus and people who have been in contact with them.

During epidemic-like situations, preventing panic is as important as preventing the disease itself. In that trial, Kerala acquitted itself creditably well, setting a template for other states to follow.