The Kerala government has decided to extend the lockdown in the state. The statewide lockdown, which began on May 8, has been extended till May 30, Sunday. This is the second time that the government is extending the lockdown. While the initial lockdown period was till May 16, the government extended it till May 23, and now, till May 30. All existing restrictions related to the lockdown will remain in effect, Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan said at a press meet on May 21.
The triple lockdown in Ernakulam, Thrissur, Thiruvananthapuram will be lifted on the morning of May 22, Saturday. Malappuram district will continue to be under triple lockdown. Earlier, triple lockdown had been in place in four districts — Ernakulam, Thrissur, Thiruvananthapuram and Malappuram while the general lockdown was extended till May 23. Triple lockdown refers to a three-phased containment strategy that includes three stages (‘locks’). In the first stage, strict lockdown will be enforced in the Corporation limit. In the second stage, the lockdown will be imposed in areas with clusters of COVID-19 cases. The third stage of the strategy to contain COVID-19 spread will be implemented in the houses of persons with COVID-19.
"The Test Positivity Rate in the districts where triple lockdown was imposed has become below 25%, except in Malappuram. Active cases have also come down in these districts. Considering this, triple lockdown will be lifted in Ernakulam, Thrissur and Thiruvananthapuram districts. Triple lockdown in Malappuram will continue. In other districts, except Malappuram, the lockdown restrictions will continue," said Pinarayi Vijayan.
On May 21, Kerala recorded 29,673 new COVID-19 cases. The TPR stands at 23.18 %. Test Positivity Rate (TPR) refers to the percentage of people within a group testing positive for the virus.
"The TPR and the number of cases have been reducing in all districts except Malappuram. Malappuram’s TRP remains the highest in the state, at 28.75 %. More stringent measures are needed in the district, including scaling up the policing system. Additional Director General of Police (ADGP) Law and Order will evaluate in person the situation in Malappuram while Inspector General of Police will station in Malappuram to ensure the measures are implemented," the CM said.