40 fresh cases in Kerala, COVID-19 tally breaches 1,000 mark

The COVID-19 tally in Kerala crossed the one thousand mark on Wednesday, with 40 people, including 37 returnees from abroad and other states, testing positive for the coronavirus.

The aggregate of cases now has touched 1003, while presently445 people are undergoing treatment in various hospitals and over 1.7 lakh under observation, Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan told reporters.

Totally 552 people have been cured and there has been six fatalities. Kasaragod reported the highest number of cases today-- 10, Palakkad eight, Alappuzha seven, Kollam four, Pathnamthitta three, Wayanad three, Kozhikode two, Ernakulam two and Kannur one, Vijayan said.

While nine of those who tested positive have come from abroad, 28 of the positive cases were people who had come from other states-- 16 from Maharashtra, five from Tamil Nadu, three from Delhi, one each from Telangana, Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka and Uttar Pradesh. Three people had been infected through contact. Ten people have been cured and discharged from hospital.

An all-party meeting was held on Wednesday in which opposition leaders raised the issue of paid quarantine for expatriates coming from abroad. Vijayan said "there was no need for any anxiety on the matter. The poor will not face any difficulty and the quarantine fee will be charged from only those who can afford it."

Some people from abroad are planning to charter flights to bring stranded expatriates, he said. "We don't have any problem with that. But we need to be informed to make arrangements for them," Vijayan added. The Chief Minister described as "baseless" reports that due to the government denying permission, chartered flights were not being operated.

(Photo Credit: PTI)