Kerala govt issues order allowing conditional entry into state amid Covid lockdown

The Kerala government has issued an order giving permission for interstate travel during lockdown to those seeking treatment in the state, or pregnant women, and in case of death of a relative or imminent death. The nationwide lockdown which was previously scheduled to end on April 14, has been further extended to May 3, keeping in view the rising number of cases of the infection. 

Entry will be allowed to pregnant women and any minors with her along with one attendant and a driver. Necessary documents must be obtained by the competent authority in order to get entry into Kerala, according to the order issued by Chief Secretary, Tom Jose.

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Earlier on Wednesday, in a major relief to Kerala in its fight against COVID-19, the state reported only one new positive case on Wednesday, while seven patients under treatment have recovered from the deadly disease, Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan said. For the third consecutive day, Kerala has reported more number of COVID-19 patients cured of the disease than positive cases.

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COVID-19 cases in Kerala

As of date, Kerala has reported a total of 387 confirmed cases of COVID-9. Of these, 167 patients are undergoing treatment in various hospitals across the State. Of the total number, 264 cases were those who had returned to Kerala from abroad and other states, eight were foreign nationals and 114 were cases of local transmission.

The State has sent 16,472 samples for COVID-19 testing, of which 16,002 samples have turned negative. The CM Vijayan informed that few more private hospitals have offered their infrastructure including ambulances and labour to support the fight against Coronavirus, and for setting up more quarantine facilities.

Currently, 97,464 people are under surveillance in the State. Of these, 96,942 are under home isolation and 522 are in isolation wards in hospitals. 86 persons were hospitalised in Kerala on Wednesday. Meanwhile, the COVID-19 has infected more than 11,933 people in the country and claimed more than 392 lives. 

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(with ANI inputs)