THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: As Kerala recorded 42 new COVID-19 cases on Friday -- the largest single-day increase -- Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan said the preventive measures need a big expansion.
"Today's rise is a serious warning and also a message that the prevention activities need to be expanded in a big way. The number of Keralites returning to the state would increase. We will not shut the doors to anyone. The number of infected is increasing every day. But we aren't afraid. Proper diagnosis and treatment would be available to all," he said at the daily press meet.
Twenty-one of the new cases are Keralites who returned from Maharashtra and 17 came from foreign countries. One each returned from Tamil Nadu and Andhra Pradesh. One case of a contact was recorded in Kannur, while a health worker was infected in Kozhikode.
Of the new patients, 12 are in Kannur, 7 in Kasaragod, 5 each in Kozhikode and Palakkad, 4 each in Thrissur and Malappuram, 2 in Kottayam and one each in Kollam, Pathanamthitta and Wayanad.
A total of 732 persons have tested positive in the state so far and 216 are under treatment. A total of 84,258 persons are under quarantine of which 609 are in hospitals. Currently, the maximum number of patients are in Kannur and Malappuram, with 36 each. 26 patients are in Palakkad, 21 in Kasaragod, 19 in Kozhikode and 16 in Thrissur. There are 28 hotspots at present.