Chief Minister Vijayan said the triple lockdown in Malappuram will continue. File

Thiruvananthapuram:

The spike in daily Covid deaths in Kerala continued today as the state reported 142 deaths over the past 24 hours. The number of new infections dipped, with 29,673 new cases reported today as compared to 30,491 recorded on Thursday.

The state government today extended the lockdown restrictions till May 30. Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan told the media that the “triple lockdown” in Thiruvananthapuram, Ernakulam and Thrissur will be withdrawn as the positivity rate and active caseload have come down in these districts. Normal lockdown restrictions will be in place in these districts. The triple lockdown in Malappuram, however, will continue.

In a deviation from the trend seen during the first wave of Covid, when Kerala was able to keep the death count low despite a surge in infection, the second wave has pushed up the daily death count in the state.

The state reported more than a 100 deaths for the third consecutive day today. The state’s daily death count crossed 100 for the first time on Wednesday when it reported 112 deaths over 24 hours. The number climbed to 128 on Thursday and 142 today. The total Covid death count in the state is now 6,994.

The number of active cases currently stands at 3,06, 346 and the test positivity rate reported today was 22.22 per cent.

To stem the surge in cases in the second Covid wave, the state government first imposed a lockdown from May 8 to May 16. It was subsequently extended to May 23 before being further extended today.