COVID: Kerala govt extends lockdown till May 23

Thiruvananthapuram:Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan on Friday said that it has been decided to extend the present lockdown till May 23. Citing the reason that the test positivity rate (TPR) in the state continues to be high, he said that the effects of the lockdown will take some more time to be visible and called on everyone to cooperate as it is for the common good.

He added that the residents of four districts in the state- Thiruvananthapuram, Ernakulam, Thrissur and Malappuram - will see increased restrictions as these districts will come under a "triple lockdown"

These four districts are those where the maximum number of cases at present are being reported. On Friday, the total number of cases in Thiruvananthapuram was 44,934, while it was 69,180 in Ernakulam, 56,194 in Thrissur, and 50,778 in Malappuram.

"On Friday, 34,694 people turned positive after 1,31,375 samples was tested, thereby taking the total active cases to 4,42,194. The TPR for the day stands at 26.41 per cent," Vijayan told the media .

The state saw 93 deaths due to Covid on Friday, taking the total toll to 6,243.

Across the state, there were 10,14,454 people under observation at various places, including 37,197 at hospitals. There were 844 hot spots in the state.

He also pointed out that basic prices for Covid items like PPE kit have been fixed and it should not exceed Rs 273, while for N-95 masks, it is Rs 22, surgical masks at Rs 4, and sanitiser (100ml) at Rs 55.

With regards to the vaccination protocols, Vijayan said that for all those who have taken the first dose of Covishield vaccines, the second dose needs to be taken after 84 days, while for those who have taken Covaxin, they have to take the second dose between 4-6 weeks. Registration of those in the age group 18 to 45 for vaccination will start from Monday and preference will be for those having co-morbidities, he added.