For second day in row, new cases in Kerala cross 100

Thiruvananthapuram : For the second day in a row, the total number of new Covid cases crossed 100 in Kerala to settle at 108.

Saturday also saw the death of 61-year-old former India footballer Hamza Koya, who had arrived from Mumbai last month, raising the death toll to 15.

On Friday, for the first time, the state's case count crossed 100 to reach 111.

State Health Minister K.K. Shailaja said today that of the new cases, 64 came from abroad, while 34 were from within the country. The remaining 10 are local infectees.

"As on date 1,029 people are positive and are under treatment, while 762 have been cured. As many as 1,83,097 people are at present under observation in homes, corona care centres, including 1,615 in hospitals.

"With the addition of 10 more hotspot areas, the total number of hotspots in the state has risen to 138," said Shailaja.

The Kerala government on Saturday came out with a fresh directive saying all those who come from abroad need to go for two-week home quarantine and only those who do not have proper facilities at home for quarantine can opt for institutional quarantine provided by the state government.

Earlier, the rule was all those coming from abroad should go for institutional quarantine for seven days.