Kerala records highest single-day spike in Covid-19 cases, breaches 3,000-mark

Given the rising numbers of Covid-19 cases among those returning from abroad, the Pinaryai Vijayan government has proposed to make carrying Covid-free certificates mandatory for the expatriates.

Kerala’s Covid-19 tally crossed the 3,000-mark on Saturyday with the state reporting 127 new infections, its highest single-day spike so far.

File photo of passengers returning from UAE being screened at the Kochi airport. (PTI File)

The total number of coronavirus patients in the state now stand at 3,039 including 1,450 active cases, chief minister Pinarayi Vijayan told reporters.

Fifty seven people recovered and were discharged from hospitals, the CM added.

Saturday was the second consecutive day when Kerala recorded more than 100 positive cases. One hundred and eighteen people had tested for Covid-19 on Friday.

The state has witnessed a rapid rise in the number of coronavirus patients with the return of expatriates in the last few weeks.

Given the rising numbers of cases among those returning from abroad, the Pinaryai Vijayan government has proposed to make carrying Covid-free certificates mandatory for the expatriates.

While the government had initially said these certificates were required only by those taking chartered flights from West Asian countries, it later modified the order to include everyone flying in from abroad.

The state government told the Centre on Thursday that it is ready to provide TrueNat testing kits to check expats before they board flights. Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan said the state will provide these kits to Indian missions where testing facilities are not available. He said the state chief secretary has written to the foreign secretary about this.