Setback to DK Shivakumar as HC refuses to stay ED summons

Mangaluru,  May 3: An unidentified vehicle mowed down a 62-year-old security guard near Guruvayanakere, Belthangady taluk, on Saturday.

The deceased Lingappa Moolya was returning to his home in Guruvayanakere on a two-wheeler when the hit-and-run case took place. Police said he was hit by a truck. A guard at an ATM, Moolya was also an active member of the local Kulala Association.

A case was registered at Belthangady police station.

Thiruvananthapuram, Apr 24: Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan on Thursday said that there is no community spread or the expected phase three spread of coronavirus in the state so far but the threat continues.

Speaking to media persons here on Thursday, Vijayan said that Kasargod, Kannur, Kozhikode, and Malappuram districts will be in the red zone with full restrictions.

"All the other ten districts in the State will be in the orange zone. With the detection of new cases today, the status of Kottayam and Idukki districts have been changed from green to orange. The district administration will decide on the hotspot areas to be closed," he said.

He said there would be an increase in the number of random tests in the red zones.

"In an effort to confirm that there is no community spread in the State, random antibody tests would be conducted among health workers, police personnel, home delivery persons, volunteers and migrant labourers," he added.

The Chief Minister said that COVID-19 labs set up at the Pariyaram Government Medical College at Kannur and the Kottayam Medical College have got the approval from the ICMR for coronavirus testing. The lab at Kannur Medical College will start functioning from Friday.

The UV sterilised lab, spread over 2,200 sq ft is equipped with four real-time PCR machines. In the first phase, this lab will be able to do 15 tests per day, which will be gradually increased to conduct 60 tests in the next phase.

"With the opening of these two new labs, tests to detect COVID-19 will be conducted in 14 government labs in Kerala. Apart from this, there are two private labs also in Kerala which are doing these tests. Since the number of coronavirus cases is again increasing in the State, the government has decided to procure ten real-time PCR machines to ramp up testing," he added.

Kasaragod, Apr 3: Kerala reported nine new cases of coronavirus on Friday, with seven from the worst affected Kasaragod district, Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan said.

With this, the total number of coronavirus positive cases in the coastal district alone mounted to 136.

Besides, Kasaragod, one case each was detected from Thrissur and Idukki, he told reporters after a COVID-19 review meeting this evening.

Currently, 251 people are under treatment for the virus in the state and 14 were cured today, Vijayan said.

A total of 1.69 lakh people are under surveillence in the state and 706 are in various hospitals.

Two fatalities have been reported from the state so far.