Three of the seven new virus cases are those who returned to Kerala from Abu Dhabi on Thursday. Four more people recovered on Sunday, taking total number of recoveries to 489 in the state. The total number of active cases in Kerala rose to 20 on Sunday after seven new Covid-19 positive cases have been confirmed in the state, said Health Minister K.K. Shailaja. Out of the seven new positive cases reported today, two are from Thrissur and one from Malappuram and they reached the state from Abu Dhabi on 7 May.
The first Air India Express flight carrying Indian citizens from Abu Dhabi landed at the airport here on Thursday night as part of Indian government’s biggest ever repatriation exercise in its history to bring back its nationals stranded abroad amid the international travel lockdown over the Covid-19 pandemic. The Air India Express flight IX 452 with 181 passengers landed at the Cochin International Airport (CIAL) at 10.09 pm on Thursday. There were 49 pregnant women and four infants among the 181 passengers. She said four more people recovered on Sunday, taking total number of recoveries to 489 in the southern state.
Shops remained shut and vehicles were off the roads in Kerala as the state government’s order on total shutdown on Sundays came into force since morning as part of the efforts to prevent the spread of COVID-19. The Left government had on Saturday night issued an order on “total shutdown across the state on Sundays” while exempting shops selling essential items and essential services. after the state registered cases in single digits, two new cases, expatriates who had returned to the state from Abu Dhabi and Dubai on Saturday, had tested positive on Saturday, causing concern as over four lakh people had registered with the NORKA portal wanting to return to the state. Roads remained empty across the state and shops were closed, except those selling essentials, including milk and medicines. Hospitals, labs and media among others will be permitted to function on Sundays.