Kerala has been following a system centred around home quarantine, with tracking system in place. (File)
Kerala saw its highest ever single-day spike in coronavirus cases with 42 testing positive in the last 24 hours. Of these, 21 have returned from Maharashtra, one from Tamil Nadu and Andhra Pradesh each, 17 from abroad. One person is a primary contact and another, a health worker. Kerala has a total of 732 total COVID-19 positive cases, of which 216 people are hospitalised.
"The spike in cases today is a serious warning and that preparedness has to be increased. More people will be returning now onwards. Will not close our door to any Malayalee returning," Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan said on Friday, during his daily press briefings.
As domestic flights are set to begin from Monday, the Kerala Chief Minister clarified that "All people returning to Kerala to stay here will go through a 14-day quarantine. However, those coming for short one or two days for work etc with not be expected to go into quarantine. However, separate safety guidelines will be issued for them."
Kerala has been following a system largely centred around home quarantine, with tracking and tracing surveillance systems in place. Institutional or paid quarantine facilities are made available for those arriving from red zones or as required.
Kerala is also gearing up for Class X, XI, and XII examinations, starting May 26. Students will undergo thermal screenings at the examination centres and all institutions will be sanitised before exams by the fire force teams. Guidelines for reopening of colleges will be released by the state soon.
The Chief Minister also warned people that relaxations in lockdown was to ensure lives could move forward, but was not for celebrations.