Kerala on Thursday reported 21 new COVID-19 cases, including a 26-year-old pregnant woman who recently returned from a Gulf nation, taking the total number of active cases in the state to 256.
Two people who had attended the Tablighi Jamaat religious congregation at Delhi were among the fresh positive cases, Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan told reporters here.
At least 157 people from the state had participated in the jamaat event and they were all under observation, he said.
Official sources said the pregnant woman from Kollam, had returned from Qatar recently.
The state government on Thursday urged Prime Minister Narendra Modi to ensure unrestricted movement of essential goods through the inter-state borders during the lockdown to check the spread of coronavirus.
Making the point during a video conference with Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Vijayan also requested the Centre to approve more testing centres in the state.
In a related development, the Kerala High Court stayed the state government's order to issue special passes to tipplers, who have withdrawal symptoms due to non-availability of liquor in view of coronavirus lockdown, to get it on doctor's prescription, saying it was a "recipe for disaster."
"This is disturbing... This is a recipe for disaster," the court said in its oral observations and also questioned the state government whether it could prove withdrawal symptoms can be treated by the use of alcohol, while staying the order for three weeks.
Citing instances of social issues including frustration and suicidal tendencies shown by those who consumed liquor regularly, the government early this week issued order to provide liquor to tipplers under prescription during the 21- day lockdown.
Kasaragod, one of the hotspots of the virus, reported eight more cases, while five were detected from Idukki, two from Kollam and one each from Thiruvananthapuram, Thrissur Pathnamthitta, Malappuram, Kozhikode and Kannur, Vijayan said after a meeting where he reviewed the COVID-19 situation.
At least 1.65 lakh people are under surveillance in the state with 643 in various hospitals.
Kerala has reported a total of 286 COVID19 cases so far, of whom 200 people had come from abroad. Presently, 256 people are undergoing treatment for the virus. Samples of two persons tested negative on Thursday.
"Today, 145 were admitted in hospitals, Government had sent 8,456 samples for testing of which 7,622 have returned negative", he said.
Meanwhile, police arrested 1,570 people for lockdown violations, registered 1,699 cases and seized 1,205 vehicles.
The state government also decided to extend the quarantine period to 28 days for those who had come to Kerala from March 5-25 either from abroad or other states, and those who had come in contact with them.
So far, 28 patients, including four foreigners, have recovered completely and tested negative.
With seven districts in Kerala-- Kasaragod, Kannur, Malappuram, Thrissur, Ernakulam, Pathnamthitta and Thiruvananthapuram being declared as "hot spots", the state needs to excercise extreme caution and vigil, Vijayan said.
The chief minister also said the government was not considering salary restriction for its employees as of now in the wake of the severe financial crisis being faced by the state due to the pandemic.
He was answering a question about a Facebook Post of state Finance Minister Thomas Isaac indicating a possible salary cut.
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