This story is from May 21, 2020

Increasing normalcy can't be taken for granted, warns Kerala CM Pinarayi Vijayan

The number of positive cases in the state rose from just 16 on May 8 to 161 on May 20, a surge of 145 cases in two weeks, with more than half of them (79 cases) in the last four days, a trend that chief minister Pinarayi Vijayan on Wednesday warned could only be contained if home and institutional quarantine of those returning to Kerala were strictly implemented.
Increasing normalcy can't be taken for granted, warns Kerala CM Pinarayi Vijayan
Passengers board a boat of the water transport department from Fort Kochi jetty to Ernakulam when the service resumed on Wednesday
THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The number of positive cases in the state rose from just 16 on May 8 to 161 on May 20, a surge of 145 cases in two weeks, with more than half of them (79 cases) in the last four days, a trend that chief minister Pinarayi Vijayan on Wednesday warned could only be contained if home and institutional quarantine of those returning to Kerala were strictly implemented.
"The disease spreads only through contact.
More cases are being reported now from among those coming from outside the state, but this does not mean the state government is against people returning. Everyone should understand that quarantine rules are being strictly implemented for the safety of NRKs and others," he said.
On Wednesday, 24 more people tested positive in the state, of whom 12 came from abroad and 11 from other states while one in Kannur got infected through contact.
Will have to intensify surveillance, says CM
Seven of these cases are in Palakkad, four in Malappuram, three in Kannur, two each in Thiruvananthapuram, Pathanamthitta and Thrissur and one each in Alappuzha, Ernakulam, Kozhikode and Kasaragod.
The chief minister said there were only 16 active cases in the state on May 8, and the spurt in cases proved that more cases were being reported after people came from outside. However, the disease is not spreading through contact as home and institutional quarantine is being maintained strictly. "We will have to intensify surveillance and also strictly enforce lockdown in critical areas. The state will be facing a dangerous situation if the number of positive cases is increasing considerably," Vijayan said.

Five Covid-19 patients -- two in Thrissur and one each in Wayanad, Kannur and Kasaragod -- have recovered from the infection. The total number of people tested positive for Covid-19 in the state is 666, of whom 161are under treatment now. As many as 74,398 persons are under surveillance, of whom 533 are admitted to designated isolation facilities.
Till date, 48,543 samples (including augmented samples) have been sent for tests, of which 46,961 were negative. As many as 5,728 of the total 6,090 samples taken from priority groups as part of sentinel surveillance have also tested negative.
Meanwhile, 2,948 temporary posts have been created under National Health Mission to meet any emergency situation. This is in addition to 3,770 posts created under NHM earlier. Giving details of the posts, he said the doctors would be posted in Covid care centres and first-line hospitals.
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