Kerala's COVID-19 tally rises to 576 with 16 fresh cases reported on Friday

With 16 fresh COVID-19 cases reported on Friday, the total rose to 576 in Kerala which has been witnessing a spike in cases of late.

Eighty people are under treatment while 493 have been cured of the infection,Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan said.

Vijayan said cases are increasing in the state which was a matter of concern.

Seven of the postivecases were those who had come from abroad, while four had come from neighbouring Tamil Nadu and two from Mumbai,he said Three were infected through contact.

Social distancing and other measures need to be strictly followed as there is a possibility of the infection spreading through contact, he told reporters here.

Cautioning those in quarantine to strictly following the protocol, Vijayan said police personnel on motorcycles will patrol homes in various districts.

On Friday, 65 cases were registered, 53 in Thiruvananthapuram, for not following the quarantine protocol while it was 11 in Kasaragod and one in Kozhikode.

With five more cases being reported, Wayanad's tally has gone up to 19, followed by Malappuram (4),Alappuzha and Kozhikode two each and one each from Kollam, Palakkad and Kasaragod, Vijayan said giving the break up of the cases.

With positive cases seeing a spike in the last few days, the tally touched 576 on Friday, of whom 80 are presently under treatment.

Over 48,000 are under observation, while 538 are in hospitals.

The maximum people were admitted on Friday in Malappuram -36, followed by Kasaragod 16 and Kozhikode 17, Vijayan said.

Of the total 576 cases, 311 people had come from abroad, including eight foreigners and 70 had come from other states.

At least 187 were infected through contact.