Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan on Friday ruled out a complete lockdown in the state stating that it will create a huge crisis for the economy and livelihoods, the chief minister's office informed. The development has come even when Kerala continues to be the epicenter for new Covid cases.
On Friday, Kerala recorded 29,322 fresh COVID-19 cases, 22,938 recoveries, and 131 deaths in the last 24 hours. The state witnessed a fall in fresh infections as on Thursday, the state reported 32,803 cases on Wednesday while the Test Positivity rate also dropped to 17.91%.
A statement issued by Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan earlier said that 22,938 people turned negative taking the total active cases to 2,46,437. The day saw 131 Covid deaths, taking the total death toll to 21,280.
The Kerala government also issued an order on Friday stating that strict action will be taken against those violating the norms of quarantine. The order states that provisions of the Disaster Management Act, Kerala State Epidemic Act, and other relevant legal provisions will be invoked.
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