Thiruvananthapuram: Two more COVID-19 cases were reported from Kerala on Saturday, a day after the number dipped to zero for the first time in two months. The number of active patients also fell below 100 on Saturday after 39 days.
Though the meagre number may be seen as a positive sign, there's something to worry as well.
Of the two new cases, one is from Wayanad district, which had not reported any case in more than a month. The other case was reported from Kannur, the district which has the most number of active COVID-19 cases (38) now.
With a fresh case reported in Wayanad, the district has been redesignated as orange zone, Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan said during his daily press briefing.
The person who has tested positive in Wayanad lives in the vicinity of Kurukkanmoola Primary Health Centre near Mananthavady, the district collector said. The man, a lorry driver, had gone to Chennai to purchase essential goods and was home quarantined after his return on April 26. His sample was taken on April 28.
His only contact was the person who had accompanied him to Chennai. That person has already tested negative, the collector said. The collector said tests will be intensified in the district in the coming days.
A total of 499 cases have been confirmed in the state so far. Of these, only 96 are still undergoing treatment in various districts. Eight patients recovered on Saturday. Six of them are from Kannur and two from Idukki.
Of the 21,894 people under observation, 21,494 are home quarantined and 410 in hospitals. Eighty suspected patients were hospitalised on Saturday.
Of the 31,183 samples sent for tests, 30,358 have turned out to be negative. Of the 2,093 samples from priority groups such as healthcare professionals and volunteers, 1,234 have tested negative.
No new hotspot has been added in the state. Of the 80 hotspots, Kannur tops the list with 23, followed by Idukki and Kottayam with 11 each.
Currently, 9 districts – Kasaragod, Idukki, Kozhikode, Kollam, Palakkad, Pathanamthitta, Thiruvananthapuram, Wayanad and Malappuram- are classified as orange zones and Kottayam and Kannur districts remain in red zones.
Alappuzha, Ernakulam and Thrissur districts are tagged green zones in the state.
Key points from the CM's press meet:
• Government has come up with a plan to announce lockdown relaxations as per the guidelines issues by the central government. The order will be issued soon.
• The restrictions have helped us to reduce the COVID-19 numbers. However, we cannot say that we're through of the threats.
• The government is analysing how much public movement can be allowed in the coming days.
• NRKs will be brought back to the state soon. State government will take necessary arrangements to make sure their safety. The focus will be to avoid another outbreak.
• Strict lockdown measures to continue in hotspots and containment zones. Relaxations will be applicable to other places only.
• Division in corporations; wards in municipalities and panchayats will be tagged as containment zones if any COVID-19 cases report from those areas. Strict lockdown measures will be enforced in such places.
• Liqour outlets and bars to remain closed.
• No public transportation will be allowed in the state.
• No public gathering is allowed in the state. Places of large gatherings like theatres, shopping malls and religious places will continue to remain closed.
• People can go out for morning following social distancing norms.
• Complete shutdown, including for shops, will be enforced on Sundays. Vehicles will not be allowed to ply on roads on Sundays.
