Kerala put under lockdown after 5 new positive cases of coronavirus emerge in the state

Kerala has announced a major lockdown  on public functions in the state, and is closing down schools and colleges with six new cases of Covid-19 being reported on Tuesday. The total number of infected people in the state has risen to 15, with the first three ― also the country’s first ― having been discharged after recovery. The six new cases have been identified as high-risk contacts of a three-member family that had arrived from virus-hit Italy in Kochi on February 29, and who had proceeded home unscreened to Ranni in Pathanamthitta district.

Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan told newspersons here after a meeting of the Cabinet that regular classes will stop in all educational institutions, including colleges and professional institutions, from tomorrow (Wednesday) as a step in abundant precaution. Only scheduled examinations (SSLC and Higher Secondary) will be allowed in schools. There will also be a ban on summer vacation classes/tuitions. Meanwhile, the number of confirmed coronavirus cases in India has now gone past 60. Bolivia and Turkey reported their first cases of infection.