Two COVID-19 deaths and 12 new cases were reported in Karnataka on Saturday.
In Telangana, one more person died of the disease, taking the toll to 29. The total number of cases touched 1,061 as 17 more cases were reported on Saturday.
In Andhra Pradesh, there were 62 fresh positive cases, taking the tally to 1,525.
Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan said on Saturday that the State would shut down on Sundays across the Red, Orange and Green zones.
The Chief Minister’s measures for the lockdown exit plan came just as Wayanad district reported a lone case of COVID-19 on Saturday. Kannur also reported one case, taking Kerala’s total case tally to 499.
Mr. Vijayan said, ideally, people should remain indoors. The holiday was mandatory except for essential services. The police would not allow travel. However, they would enable journey for an emergency.
On other days, the police would allow necessary travel in private vehicles in the Orange and Green zones. However, they would permit only three passengers, including the driver. The government had prohibited riding pillion on two-wheelers.
The Centre has not allowed stage carriage services. However, taxis and cabs could resume operations. The ban on autorickshaws would continue.
Morning walkers were allowed after 7 a.m. They would have no access to parks, beaches, stadiums, gymnasiums, malls, swimming pools, and clubs. Malls, cinemas and multistoreyed textile showrooms would remain closed. However, single-storey cloth shops employing not more than five persons could open between 7 a.m. and 7.30 p.m.
The new COVID-19 patient at Wayanad had travelled from Chennai, while the one at Kannur contracted the disease through contact with another known/unknown source of infection.
Eight persons got on the recovery list, taking the total number of those who had recovered to 400. Also, 96 persons were undergoing treatment in hospitals.
The number of those under surveillance stood at 21,894, of whom, 410 were in isolation in hospitals and the rest on home quarantine. Kerala had tested 31,183 samples so far, of which 30,358 returned a negative result.
Of the 2,093 samples from priority groups under sentinel surveillance studies and sent for testing, 1,234 gave a negative result.
A.P. focus on Kurnool
Andhra Pradesh had conducted 1,08,403 tests so far putting the positivity rate at 1.40%, death rate at 2.16% and recovery rate at 29%.
The number of those recovered on Saturday was 38 and no new deaths were reported. Currently the State had 1,051 active patients and 33 patients died. So far, 441 persons recovered.
Most fresh cases were in Kurnool (25), followed by Krishna (12). Nellore reported six fresh cases and Anantapur, Visakhapatnam and Kadapa four fresh cases each while East Godavari reported three cases. Guntur reported two new cases, Prakasam and West Godavari, one fresh case each.
As of Saturday, Kurnool had 436 cases and Guntur, 308 cases, Krishna reported 258 cases and Nellore reported 90 cases.
Karnataka’s 600 cases
The number of positive cases in Karnataka crossed 600. Twelve new cases were reported on Saturday, adding up to 601 in all.
Of the two COVID-19 deaths, which took the total to 25, one was a 63-year-old man from Bengaluru with a history of diabetes, hypertension, hypothyroidism, renal failure and multiple myeloma. Another was a 82-year-old patient from Bidar, who died on April 28, and was confirmed COVID-19 positive on Saturday.
Of 12 new cases, four were from Bengaluru Urban, two each from Tumakuru and Vijayapura, one case each from Bidar, Chikkaballapur, Belagavi and Bagalkote. One patient had Severe Acute Respiratory Infection, and others were contacts of positive patients. Primary and Secondary Education Minister S. Suresh Kumar said the number of positive cases since 26 April was 101, while 113 were discharged.
Also, 45% of 601 patients tested positive recovered.
(With inputs from Vijayawada, Bengaluru and Hyderabad Bureaus)
