Kerala extends lockdown till May 23, triple lockdown in four districts

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Amid rising COVID-19 cases in Kerala, the Pinarayi Vijayan government has extended the lockdown till May 23. Essential services will be allowed.

Addressing the media, Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan said that the positivity rate remains high, so the state government has decided to extend the present complete lockdown in Kerala till May 23rd.

The state is currently under a 9-day complete shutdown as part of its efforts to bring down the daily caseload.

Kerala records 34,694 new COVID-19 cases today, 93 deaths

The state recorded 34,694 new COVID-19 cases today. 93 death occurred, taking the death toll to 6243.

With 31,319 new recoveries, the total recoveries in the state rise to 16,36,790. A total of 1,31,375 samples were tested during the last 24 hours, said the CM.

Triple lockdown will be imposed in Thiruvananthapuram, Ernakulam, Thrissur, and Malappuram, where the test positivity rate is high, he added.

Kerala on Thursday logged 39,955 fresh COVID-19 cases, taking the overall tally to 20,20,834, while 97 deaths pushed the toll to 6,150, the state government said.

As many as 33,733 people were cured of the infection, taking the total recoveries to 16,05,471.