THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan on Friday indicated that the ongoing lockdown will continue till the spread of Covid is contained.
The aim of the government was to bring the Test Positivity Rate (TPR) below 10% as early as possible, the CM said.
"Since the number of people who have not contracted the disease is high in Kerala compared to other places, it is very important to bring down the prevalence of the virus. This is why a decision was taken to extend the lockdown. If the prevalence of the virus is not brought down, the spread of the disease will rise further," Pinarayi said.
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The Chief Minister said the average TPR of the past three days has narrowly come down to 13,9%. However, the number of new cases has increased in Pathanamthitta, Idukki, Ernakulam, Kannur, and Kasaragod and TPR in these districts is coming down only at a slow pace.
Pinarayi said the state was able to bring down the number of fatalities due to the effective implementation of the lockdown and the people's cooperation towards the restrictions. However, the Covid situation does not offer any relief, he added.
The Chief Minister added that the Covid test certificate will not be mandatory during travel for those who have taken two doses of the Covid vaccine, provided they do not show any symptoms of the viral disease.
Pinarayi also urged the people to cooperate with the total lockdown to be implemented in the state over the weekend.