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“What Kerala thinks today, India must think tomorrow!” proclaimed Indian news anchor Rajdeep Sardesai during a recent segment on national television. Kerala, a narrow strip of land sandwiched between the Arabian Sea and the Western Ghats, has become a frequent topic of discussion since the coronavirus pandemic engulfed much of the world. Just last week The Washington Post ran a story headlined ‘How India’s Communist State Flattened the Curve.’ Kerala operates as a socialist democracy and its government has roots in strong working-class movements, a history which has defined the nature of its response. Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan, and Health Minister K. K. Shylaja, both members of the Communist Party of India, Marxist (CPIM), have emphasised the need for a social solidarity in response to the crisis – something which stands in sharp contrast to the Modi government’s divisive jingoism. They have been able to lean on a well-developed civil society, and effective decentralised local government organisations, and so far their approach appears to be working. As the Washington Post noted, Kerala was the first Indian state to have a confirmed coronavirus case. But, as April arrived, its infection rates were declining by thirty percent week on week. This is no accident. In recent decades, Kerala has invested enormously in education and public healthcare – meaning the state leads India both in literacy and healthcare outcomes. This, combined with a prompt response focused on “aggressive testing, intense contact tracing, longer quarantine and building thousands of shelters for migrant workers,” was praised by the World Health Organisation as a strong bedrock for responding to the historic pandemic. Another recent article by the New York Times described the process by which Kerala got on top of the outbreak where more developed Western states fell behind: In Kerala, in the south, the authorities used GPS technology, CCTV footage and mobile phone records to trace the movements of one Indian family believed to be among the first infected here. They returned from Italy in late February, and within days, medical teams fanned out to all the places they had visited including banks, restaurants and churches and quickly quarantined just about everyone they had come in contact with — nearly 1,000 people. When the favoured newspapers of the American ruling elite are praising left-wing governments, you know it’s time to pay attention. But the story in Kerala runs much deeper than just the prompt response.

Kerala’s Left History The left movement in Kerala, like many other working-class movements, developed outside the political system, during resistance to imperial British rule. The Communist Party played a vital role in mobilising the poor and, despite having to operate in secret, was instrumental in organising a series of peasant revolts against exploitative rulers. After the ban on Communist activity was lifted in 1942 the party was able to obtain legal status, and, after its election as one of the earliest Communist governments in the world, began implementing a series of reforms which transformed Kerala from one of the poorest states in post-colonial India to the one with the highest literacy rate, gender equality, Human Development Index, and life expectancy. One of the most far-reaching and controversial changes enacted by the Communist Party was its programme of land reform. After almost a decade of legislative and legal battles, both with the land-holding classes and with the Congress Party-led national government, the state government passed the Kerala Land Reforms (Amendment) Act 1969. Land was redistributed under the slogan “land for the tillers,” swiftly bringing an end to the agrarian feudal system that had held back the majority of people. A subsequent focus on education empowered the population to develop important sectors of society, including health and education. Reading rooms, village libraries, and debating groups were established in villages throughout Kerala, providing political education, albeit predominantly for men. These institutions formed an integral part of the way of life for many in Kerala’s villages.

Physical Distance, Social Unity The Left Democratic Front, a coalition government led by Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan, has set examples to the rest of India in crisis management, with swift and positive state action both during the serious flooding of the 2018 monsoon season, and in the current pandemic. The Chief Minister, who in more normal times rarely speaks to the media, has taken to addressing the people of Kerala daily, giving press conferences that have found praise for their concise presentation of the government’s approach to handling the crisis. His words have come as much needed reassurance to the people of Kerala, with careful messaging, “physical distance, social unity,” designed to emphasise the need to ensure that nobody feels alone. Counsellors have been arranged to be a phone call away, ready to speak to people who are in isolation and those needing support in these difficult times. The Health Ministry has learned from its experience with the 2018 Nipah virus crisis and acted quickly, with measures against Covid-19 beginning as early as January. The minister in charge, K. K. Shylaja, kickstarted work to tackle the crisis, forming committees and control rooms across the state. Her ‘break the chain’ campaign was widely advertised, and kiosks were introduced to encourage people to use hand sanitisers and wash their hands with soap and water before entering buildings. Measures were also taken to reduce and prevent community spread by releasing anonymised route maps of infected people via both mainstream and social media outlets. Subsequent volunteer-driven contact tracing has allowed health workers to proactively isolate anyone who might be infected, and people returning from abroad have been requested to quarantine for 28 days. The government has also used its phone app, GoK Direct, to disseminate information like route maps of infected people, helpline details, and other useful advice. In an unprecedented move within Kerala, the government has appropriated a recently-shuttered private hospital in Kannur district, repurposing it as a dedicated Covid-19 facility, with plans to prepare more hospitals to handle the outbreak. Similarly, the government has taken over empty and unused buildings to construct coronavirus care centres, used to isolate and quarantine people known or suspected to have been infected but not yet showing symptoms.