114 total COVID-19 cases in Kerala's Kasaragod, state total at 286
On Thursday, Kerala's Kasaragod reported eight new positive cases of COVID-19, taking the total number of cases in the district to 114. Apart from the eight in Kasaragod, 21 persons have been reported positive for coronavirus in the state on Thursday, said Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan.
With this, the total number of COVID-19 positive cases in Kerala rose to 286, of which 256 people are presently under treatment for the disease and 28 persons have been discharged following recovery.
The latest figures include five people from Idukki, two from Kollam and one person each from Thiruvananthapuram, Pathanamthitta, Thrissur, Malappuram, Kozhikode and Kannur.
A total of 1.6 lakh people are under observation in the state, of which 643 people are isolated in hospitals.
Addressing a press meet on Thursday, Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan stated the important points of discussion he had with Prime Minister Narendra Modi in the video conference held earlier in the day. Pinarayi Vijayan said that he had asked the Centre to allow the state to use funds from the Disaster Relief Fund to set-up special COVID-19 hospitals.
“We are also told that Kerala will get Rs 157 crore for the State Disaster Relief Fund,” said Pinarayi Vijayan.
He said that Kerala districts including Kasaragod, Kannur, Malappuram, Kozhikode, Ernakulam, Thrissur and Thiruvananthapuram have been identified as COVID-19 hotspots by the Centre.
Cautioning journalists, the Chief Minister said that close relatives of two journalists in Kasaragod have been found to be COVID-19 positive.
“We have to continue our caution to prevent the spread of the disease. Those who have come back from any other states or countries between March 5 to 24 should report to the Health Department or DISHA if they have not. Such people should also undergo mandatory 28 days isolation,” said the Chief Minister.
Meanwhile, mentioning the dismissal of 11 nurses from a private hospital in Thiruvananthapuram, the Chief Minister said that the government will intervene in the matter.
Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan said that two people from Kerala, who participated in the Tablighi Jamaat conference in New Delhi’s Nizamuddin, have also tested positive for COVID-19.
According to the latest update from the Ministry of Health, about 400 people who attended the meeting in Nizamuddin have reported to be COVID-19 positive in the country.
Many south Indian states like Tamil Nadu and Telangana have seen a surge in the number of COVID-19 cases with participants of the meet in these states testing positive for coronavirus. These states are also struggling to trace the contacts of all the participants as the meet was held on different dates.
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