Chennai: The Kerala Health Department on Sunday ordered medical officers and health workers to get permission before talking to the media. The Kerala Health Director VK Raju also warned medical officers to stay cautious while sharing information with the media.
According to a report on ANI, a notice by Kerala Health Director VK Raju said, the medical officers in Kerala are not permitted to share information under any circumstances to media without prior information. Even during an emergency situation, the concerned official should verify the details and receive prior permission before announcing them, the notice said.
It also added that the news has the capacity to mislead people and create a stigma about the spread of infection.
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The notice has created a concern among journalists since there are already issues in the government’s response to media.
On the other hand, Kerala Health Minister Veena George is a former journalist and has also served as the executive editor of a news channel.
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Meanwhile, on Sunday, India saw an increase in the number of COVID-19 deaths as Kerala and Bihar updated their COVID-19 data. With 2,796 deaths reported across the country on Monday, the total number of deaths in the country stands at 4,73,326.
On Sunday, Kerala reconciled and added 263 deaths to the overall tally. The state also recorded 4557 new COVID-19 cases and 52 deaths in last 24 hours. The state also witnessed 5,108 recoveries in the state.