<p>As the number of Covid-19 cases in Kerala keeps on escalating with 123 more being tested positive on Thursday, Kerala has decided to enhance the number of Covid-19 tests.</p>.<p>Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan said that the state was gradually increasing number of tests with a target of 15,000 tests from around 5,000 now. </p>.<p>Kerala was facing criticism of low number of Covid-19 tests being done daily. Opposition Congress had alleged that among the states with over one crore population Kerala was in the 12th position with regard to number of tests. </p>.<p><a href="https://www.deccanherald.com/national/coronavirus-news-live-updates-india-deaths-covid-19-tally-maharashtra-karnataka-delhi-mumbai-bengaluru-icmr-worldometer-info-851629.html" target="_blank"><strong>Follow live updates on the coronavirus here</strong></a></p>.<p>Meanwhile, Kerala government's directives mandating PPE kits and other safety norms for NRIs returning to Kerala suffered a setback with minister of state for external affairs V Muraleedharan centre maintaining that state could not prescribe separate norms for NRIs returning in Vande Bharat mission flights. However, the state would be able to mandate norms for chartered flights.</p>.<p>The chief minister said that it was owing to effective quarantine measures of Kerala that the number of infections through local contact could be kept very low. Of the total persons who came from abroad, infection spread only from seven percent. But the Kerala State Disaster Management Authority projected a steep hike in Covid-19 cases up to August as per the present trend. Hence elaborate arrangements were made for screening NRIs. Police would also take stringent actions against violation of lockdown and social distance norms.</p>.<p>Kerala health minister K K Shailaja said that though anti-body tests were being conducted in the state to detect community spread, so far there were no signs of community spread.</p>
<p>As the number of Covid-19 cases in Kerala keeps on escalating with 123 more being tested positive on Thursday, Kerala has decided to enhance the number of Covid-19 tests.</p>.<p>Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan said that the state was gradually increasing number of tests with a target of 15,000 tests from around 5,000 now. </p>.<p>Kerala was facing criticism of low number of Covid-19 tests being done daily. Opposition Congress had alleged that among the states with over one crore population Kerala was in the 12th position with regard to number of tests. </p>.<p><a href="https://www.deccanherald.com/national/coronavirus-news-live-updates-india-deaths-covid-19-tally-maharashtra-karnataka-delhi-mumbai-bengaluru-icmr-worldometer-info-851629.html" target="_blank"><strong>Follow live updates on the coronavirus here</strong></a></p>.<p>Meanwhile, Kerala government's directives mandating PPE kits and other safety norms for NRIs returning to Kerala suffered a setback with minister of state for external affairs V Muraleedharan centre maintaining that state could not prescribe separate norms for NRIs returning in Vande Bharat mission flights. However, the state would be able to mandate norms for chartered flights.</p>.<p>The chief minister said that it was owing to effective quarantine measures of Kerala that the number of infections through local contact could be kept very low. Of the total persons who came from abroad, infection spread only from seven percent. But the Kerala State Disaster Management Authority projected a steep hike in Covid-19 cases up to August as per the present trend. Hence elaborate arrangements were made for screening NRIs. Police would also take stringent actions against violation of lockdown and social distance norms.</p>.<p>Kerala health minister K K Shailaja said that though anti-body tests were being conducted in the state to detect community spread, so far there were no signs of community spread.</p>
