No new positive cases, no new hotspots in Kerala

No new positive cases were reported in Kerala on Wednesday while samples of seven people have returned negative and only 30 COVID-19 patients are under treatment in the state,Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan said.

There are no new hotspots in the state,he told reporters. Meanwhile efforts are being made to bring the 1,117 students from Kerala who are stranded due to lockdown at Delhi, Punjab, Himachal Pradesh and Haryana, Vijayan said and suggested that a non-stop train be arranged from Delhi.

The students stranded in other states could be brought in vehicles to the national capital from where they can board the train. As per the figures available, there are 1,177 students from Kerala in these four States - 723 in Delhi, 348 in Punjab, 89 in Haryana and 17 in HP.

The CM has written to the Chief Ministers of these states to facilitate their travel. Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal has also been requested to take up the matter with the Railways ministry. Six people from Kottayam, including one person from Idukki and one person from Pathnamthitta, have been declared cured on Wednesday, he said.

The total positive cases in the state touched 502, while 30 people are under treatment for the infection. At present 14,670 are under observation, including 268 in hospitals,he said.

Eight of the 14 districts have zero positive cases, including Kozhikode, Malappuram, Ernakulam and Thiruvananthpuramand there are no new hotspots in the state. Over 34,500 samples have been sent for testing and 34,063 have returned negative.

So far, over 6,802 Keralites stranded in Tamil Nadu, Karnataka and Maharashtra have reached here through the six checkposts,including over 4,300 through Walayar in Palakkad.

The guidelines for coming to Kerala from other states and abroad have been published and people are expected to follow it correctly, he said.

"Those coming from hotspot areas will have to spend a week in government quarantine centres and then tested. If they are negative, they will be sent home for a further seven days quarantine.Those positive will be shifted to hospitals for treatment. Pregnant women and small children coming from abroad and other states will be quarantined at their homes," the chief minister added.