Pregnant woman, 2 Tablighi event returnees among 21 new cases in Kerala

Kerala on Thursday reported 21 new COVID-19 cases, including a 26-year-old pregnant woman who recently returned from a Gulf nation, taking the total number of active cases in the state to 256.

Two people who had attended the Tablighi Jamaat religious congregation at Delhi were among the fresh positive cases, Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan told reporters here.

At least 157 people from the state had participated in the jamaat event and they were all under observation, he said.

Official sources said the pregnant woman from Kollam, had returned from Qatar recently.

The state government on Thursday urged Prime Minister Narendra Modi to ensure unrestricted movement of essential goods through the inter-state borders during the lockdown to check the spread of coronavirus.

Making the point during a video conference with Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Vijayan also requested the Centre to approve more testing centres in the state.

In a related development, the Kerala High Court stayed the state government's order to issue special passes to tipplers, who have withdrawal symptoms due to non-availability of liquor in view of coronavirus lockdown, to get it on doctor's prescription, saying it was a "recipe for disaster."