Ernakulam: Kerala on Sunday confirmed 15 more Covid-19 patients, taking the total number of cases in the state to 67. Three people out of the 67 have recovered. Kerala now has the second highest number of cases in India, after Maharashtra.

Out of the new cases, two are from Ernakulam district, two from Malappuram, two from Kozhikode, four from Kannur and five from Kasargode, said Kerala's health department in a statement.

As of Sunday, a total of 59,295 people were under surveillance, from 53,013 people a day ago. The state has tested 4,035 samples so far, out of them 2,744 tested negative for the virus and the remaining results are awaited.

Most of the fresh patients are reportedly returnees from Gulf countries.

With five fresh cases, along with six patients on Saturday, Kasargod is now the ground zero of Kerala’s coronavirus outbreak. Being a place without even a medical college and historically overlooked by governments, it is an outlier when it comes to Kerala’s health credentials.

Kasargod is part of the 75 districts the Centre has asked to lock down on Sunday.

The state has banned all public transport in Kasargod. A total of seven out of the 14 districts in Kerala will enter into a lockdown mode as part of the center's guidance. However, these districts will not be in a "complete shutdown", chief minister Pinarayi Vijayan said.

All inter-state transport and long-distance intra-district public transport will be banned, except for commercial vehicles, said Kerala chief secretary Tom Jose. Grocery shops, hotels, restaurants, petrol pumps and other essential services, will be allowed to open subject to restrictions such as not allowing more than five people at once, he said.>

The Kerala government has also issued an order that effectively bans all religious festivals, sports tournaments and other mass gatherings in places such as malls, parks and beaches to prevent further spread of the coronavirus. The new norms also provide district administrators, health officials and the police more teeth to take action to prevent the spread of the disease, such as the use of force to isolate suspected patients and lock down a neighbourhood, if needed.

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