THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan on Thursday announced that 97 more persons have tested positive for novel coronavirus in the state. Of these, 65 had returned from abroad while 29 had returned from other states. Three persons contracted the disease through contact. He also added that 89 persons tested negative for the virus on Thursday.

Palakkad accounted for 14 new cases, Kollam 13, Kottayam and Pathanamthitta 11 each, Alappuzha 9, Ernakulam, Thrissur and Idukki 6 each, Kozhikode and Thiruvananthapuram 5 each, Malappuram and Kannur 4 each while Kasargod reported 3 cases. The CM also took the opportunity to condole the death of excise staff Sunil Kumar who died of COVID-19 on Thursday