Thiruuvananthapuram, Jan 12 Kerala on Wednesday saw 12,742 people turn Covid positive in Kerala after 72,808 samples were tested in the past 24 hours, taking the daily test positivity rate to a high of 17.5 per cent up from 14 per cent on Tuesday.
A statement issued by state Health Minister Veena George said the capital district had the highest daily tally of 3,498.
She said there were 54,430 active Covid cases in the state, while another 23 Covid deaths were reported taking the total death tally to 50,254.
With Covid spreading, the Kerala government has come out with fresh guidelines of limiting the number of people attending weddings and funerals at 50 and also restricting the conduct of social political and cultural events, but the ruling CPI-M is still having its district party meetings.
On Wednesday, Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan, presiding over the concluding programme of the Kozhikode district party meeting, asked people to to take extreme caution as Omicron variant is spreading even as he addressed a huge gathering.
Out of the 14 district party meetings of the CPI-M, till now only seven have been finished and on Tuesday, breaking all protocols, a programme featuring 600 dancers was held near here as part of the curtain raiser of the Thiruvananthapuram CPI-M district committee party meeting which begins on Friday.
After a huge public outcry, the Thiuruvananthapuram district authorities have decided to register case against the organisers of the dance programme for violating Covid protocols.
Leader of Opposition V.D.Satheesan accused the CPI-M of doing anything "as there are no Covid restrictions in the conduct of their ongoing party meetings".
"It appears restrictions will come into place only after their party meetings ends and to keep the daily Covid figures low, fewer tests are also being done," he claimed.
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