E-Paper
Covid-19: Triple lockdown to continue in Kerala’s Malappuram, CM Vijayan warns of 'strict action' against violators
“Triple lockdown will continue in Malappuram district. Restrictions will be tightened as test positivity rate is high. More police force will be deployed, directed them to take strict action against violators,” chief minister Pinarayi Vijayan said.
Kerala’s chief minister Pinarayi Vijayan on Saturday said that the triple lockdown will continue in the Malappuram district, where the test positivity rate is higher. He also said that the restrictions in the area would be tightened and warned of “strict action” against the violators.
“Triple lockdown will continue in Malappuram district. Restrictions will be tightened as test positivity rate is high. We will conduct tests among 75,000 people on Monday and Tuesday. More police force will be deployed, directed them to take strict action against violators,” news agency ANI quoted Vijayan as saying.
Also read | India’s Covid-19 active caseload at over 2.9 million; 8 states contribute 69% to national tally
Earlier on Friday (May 21), the chief minister said that the Covid-19 lockdown in Kerala has been extended till May 30. However, he also mentioned that the triple lockdown would be lifted in three districts, namely, Thiruvananthapuram, Ernakulam and Thrissur and it would continue in Malappuram district. Initially, the triple lockdown was imposed in all four districts, as per the state government order on May 14.
Briefing on the Covid-19 situation in his state, Vijayan said, “28,514 new Covid-19 cases, 45,400 recoveries and 176 deaths reported in Kerala today. Total 2,025,319 recoveries and 7,170 deaths in the state so far. Active cases [at] 289,283,” news agency ANI reported.
Watch | Drones used for sanitising public places in Kerala’s Thrissur
In the seven-day period between May 16 and 23, when the triple lockdown was in effect, the active caseload decreased in the four districts. However, Malappuram witnessed the least fall, data from the state health department’s daily bulletin showed. On May 14, Thiruvananthapuram had 44,934 active cases which came down to 20,695. Meanwhile, Thrissur’s active caseload currently stands at 22,088 from 56,194, previously reported on May 14, the highest fall among the four districts. Ernakulam witnessed its active cases shrink from 69,180 on May 14 to 45,395 on Saturday. But Malappuram currently has 47,595 active cases, a marginal reduction from the 50,778 reported on May 14.
Kerala was only behind Karnataka and Maharashtra in terms of the total confirmed cases as well as active cases, according to data from the Union health ministry on Saturday.
