With 57 new cases reported on Monday, the total number of COVID-19 cases in Kerala rose to 1,326 and out of this nearly 83 per cent of patients are Non-Resident Keralites (NRKs). Out of the 57 cases reported on Monday, 55 are NRKs—27 from abroad and 28 from other states.
As many as 210 NRKs have died outside the state and majority of the deaths are in the Gulf.
The state has 670 active cases and 121 hot spots.
Underlining the importance of contact tracing to keep the COVID-19 cases in check, Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan said that everyone who comes to the state will have to register with the government and undergo quarantine.
“It is important for everyone coming from outside the state to register with the government. This is important to establishing epidemiological link. Otherwise, this will lead to community spread,'' he warned.
He said that the numbers will further go up as more NRKs will return to the state from various hotspots. “There is no need to worry, but we have to be extremely careful,'' Vijayan said.
Underlining the importance of continuing the strict regulations, the CM said that the containment zones will have curfew-like restrictions.
“The death rate and infection rate could have been much higher. But we could contain this because of effective quarantine measures and health care,” the CM said, adding that reverse quarantine also needs to be strengthened in the coming days.
He also said schools will start in the state only after July.
