Lockdown extension by PM Modi 'inevitable' in current situation, says Kerala CM

Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan said that the lockdown extension till May 3 announced by Prime Minister Narendra Modi is inevitable considering the situation in India, as it requires stringent measures to contain COVID-19.

"It goes without saying that the extension of the lockdown to May 3 is inevitable in the given Indian situation, which requires stringent measures to see that the pandemic is contained. Continued restriction on the movement of people and interaction between them certainly reduces the chances of more people getting infected," Vijayan told .

He opined that India needs to carry out more tests to accurately ascertain the spread of the virus. "If we do not identify all those who are infected right now, we risk the possibility of an explosion in the cases, once the lockdown is lifted. WHO has been repeatedly exhorting nations to test more and more to accurately ascertain the spread of the virus," he said.

Lauding the efforts of young minds, the Kerala Chief Minister said that young innovators and entrepreneurs are joining in the fight against COVID-19 in the state.

"The Super Fab lab in Kochi has brought them together to ensure adequate domestic production and distribution of respirators, ventilators, oxygen cylinders, biomedical instruments, and personal protective equipment and N95 masks for health care workers. They have already developed indigenous prototypes of ventilators and respirators. We have secured the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) approval for our protocol on Convalescent Plasma Therapy. We are prepared to meet any eventuality," he said.

As of Saturday evening, Kerala has 396 confirmed cases of COVID-19, out of these 255 have been cured and discharged, according to the Union Ministry of Health.

( With inputs from ANI )