Kerala extends ongoing COVID-induced lockdown till June 9 despite decline in fresh cases

With an aim to control the spread of COVID-19 in state, Kerala Government has announced an extension of COVID-induced lockdown till June 9. Kerala is following the footsteps of several other states in India that has announced an extension despite reporting a lower number of fresh cases. On Friday, the state recorded 22,318 fresh infections against Thursday's 24,48,554 COVID-19 infections, taking the caseload to 24.40 lakh. 

Yesterday, the state government had announced a major relief for international travelers by saying that the state will issue COVID vaccination certificates with passport numbers to those people who want to go abroad for jobs or studies and need them for travel clearance. Observing that many countries have mandated the requirement of a valid COVID-19 vaccination certificate, Kerala government made this decision. The CoWIN portal, through which Indian citizens are required to register themselves for COVID-19 vaccination, asks for ID proof during the registration and the same details are printed on the vaccination certificate. However, the passport number does not reflect in vaccination certificate. From now on, it will get easier for citizens to travel abroad. 

States that announced an extension of COVID-19 lockdown

• Delhi- The positivity rate in the national capital has come down to 1.5 per cent with around 1,100 cases have been reported in the last 24 hours. This declining trend was witnessed for past several days and while Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal announced an extension of lockdown last week, he marked that unlock will be initiated if situation remains the same. On Friday, the CM announced that unlock process will gradually begin. 
• Himachal Pradesh- The state has extended lockdown curbs till June 7 with some relaxation. However, the COVID-19 cases in Himachal are escalating, giving major concerns to authorities.
• Madhya Pradesh- Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan had said that the state cannot remain under lockdown forever and so unlock process will begin in the state from June 1. On Friday, the state reported 1,854 new positive cases. 
• West Bengal- The announcement of extended COVID-infused restrictions came a day after the state continued to record a decline in the single-day spike of COVID-19 cases on Wednesday. The lockdown in West Bengal has been extended till June 15. 
• Maharashtra- Several districts in the state are reporting a high positivity rate. However Mumbai in particular has witnessed a sharp decline in fresh cases with 929 cases reported on Friday. The state government has also extended the curfew but has hinted upon relaxing curbs in places where cases are declining. Mumbai's recovery rate stands at 94%.
• Tamil Nadu- The state has also extended lockdown in the state till June 7. On Friday, the state reported 31,079 fresh infections and an all-time high death with 486 fatalities however for the first time, recoveries outnumbered new virus cases. A total of 31,255 people recovered in the latest tally.
• J&K- The administration has decided to ease the restrictions from June 6. The restrictions will be gradually lifted in a phase-wise manner.
• Arunachal Pradesh- On Friday, the Arunachal Pradesh government decided to extend the lockdown in seven districts till June 7 following a surge in COVID-19 cases, senior officials said.