No complete lockdown in Kerala as of now, says Health Minister

Despite the rising number of COVID-19 cases and its new variant Omicron in the state, Health Minister Veena George on Saturday said as of now, there were no plans on part of the Kerala government to impose a full lockdown.

The Minister said a complete lockdown will affect normal life in the state and urged the people to remain cautious.

"The economic activities in our state and that of our people cannot be hampered now. We should work together to avoid a complete shutdown in the state. As of now we are not planning any lockdown," she told the media.

The Minister said the quarantine protocol for those coming from abroad was decided based on the directions issued by the Union government.

After almost a month, the number of COVID-19 cases in Kerala crossed 5,000 yesterday. There were 5,296 new cases of coronavirus in the state on Friday and today the number increased to 5,944.