In a first, Kerala Cabinet meets virtually amid rising COVID-19 cases

KOCHI: When online has become the ‘new normal’, be it work, studies or doctor consultation during the pandemic times, the council of ministers in Kerala also met online for a special session of the Cabinet on Monday.

It was for the first time in the history of the state that Cabinet meeting was being held online. Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan chaired the session by joining the meeting from his official residence at Thiruvananthapuram.

The decision to conduct web conference of ministers was taken keeping in mind the recent surge in the number of positive cases. While few ministers attended the meeting from their offices in Thiruvananthapuram, some of them who were in their constituencies coordinating COVID-19 control measures attended the session from their homes.

Normally, a Cabinet meeting is convened every Wednesday at the State Secretariat in the block housing the Chief Minister's office.

A major decision taken by the special cabinet session was not to enforce a complete state-wide lockdown considering its economic impacts. The all-party meeting convened by the Chief Minister earlier had opposed the total lockdown and proposed imposing stricter restrictions in disease spread clusters.

The Cabinet also decided to pass an Ordinance as a temporary substitute for the Finance Bill as the Assembly session scheduled on Monday had to be suspended due to spiralling COVID-19 cases.