Kerala records highest single-day Covid-19 spike with 42 new cases

Trivandrum: Kerala on Friday recorded its highest single-day spike in Covid-19 cases, with 42 people testing positive for the coronavirus, while two tested negative, Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan said while addressing the media after a coronavirus review meeting in Thiruvananthapuram.

Out of the new cases, 12 are from Kannur district, 7 are from Kasaragod, 5 each from Palakkad and Kozhikode, 4 each from Thrissur and Malappuram.

Two cases have emerged from Kottayam and one each from Pathanamthitta, Wayanad and Kollam districts.

Out of the 42 new coronavirus positive cases, 21 had returned from Maharashtra while one each had returned from Tamil Nadu and Andhra Pradesh; 17 had returned from abroad. One of the patients in Kozhikode is a health worker. In Kannur, one person developed the disease through contact.

With the flow of people into Kerala from abroad and other states seeing a steady increase, the state government has made temporary appointments of around 6,700 healthcare staff to tackle the contagion.

The Kerala CM stated that all students appearing for examinations will undergo thermal scanning before the commencement of the examination. Also, special seating arrangements will be made available for students in quarantine and containment zones.

The Chief Minister added that the government will distribute face shields and specially-designed raincoats for police officers engaged in Covid-19 surveillance as the state braces for the upcoming southwest monsoon season.

Till date, 732 persons have contracted the highly contagious disease in Kerala, out of which 216 are under treatment while 512 have recovered.