Kerala has extended its lockdown to curb the coronavirus by another week till May 23, Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan confirmed. Additionally, four districts - Thiruvananthapuram, Ernakulam, Thrissur and Malappuram - will be put under a 'triple lockdown' where existing exemptions will also be withdrawn. This translates to severe curbs aimed at reducing virus transmission in these districts. All four of these districts have test positivity rates above 25 per cent. The chief minister said the effects of the state-wide lockdown, which began on May 8, are expected to be visible in the next couple of weeks. The month of May is extremely crucial to reducing the spread of the pandemic, he said.
