After the first coronavirus case in India was confirmed in Kerala's Thrissur district on January 30, 2020, the state has witnessed the spread of the COVID-19 pandemic in different stages.

While the first and second stages were quickly contained by the government's intervention, the rapid spread of the disease in clusters and the quick rise in contact cases recently is proving to be a challenge to the state.

Here are the latest developments related to the COVID-19 pandemic and the related lockdown in Kerala.

Nov 3: Kerala's COVID-19 case count reached 4,51,130‬, with the state reporting 6,862 fresh cases.

Oct 13: Kerala's COVID-19 case count crossed 3 lakh and reached 3,03,896 with the state reporting 8,764 fresh cases. 

The number of recoveries also crossed the 2 lakh-mark and rose to 2,07,357.

Oct 11: Kerala reported 9,347 COVID cases and the highest recoveries yet - 8,924. 25 deaths too were reporting taking the state's COVID death toll past the dreaded 1000-mark.

Oct 10: Kerala's single-day COVID case count crosses 11,000 for the first time with 11,755 cases.

Oct 9: Kerala records it's highest number of recoveries in a day with 8,048 testing negative for the virus.

Oct 8: Despite testing 63,146 samples, Kerala reported 5,445 new COVID cases.  After topping the COVID list for weeks, Thiruvananthapuram reported the most recoveries - 1,520.

Oct 7: Kerala's single-day COVID case count crosses 10,000 for the first time with 10,606 new cases.

Oct 2: Single day tally of COVID-19 crosses 9,000 for the first time in the state with 9,258 cases.

Oct 1: Total COVID-19 cases reported in Kerala crossed two lakh on the day with 8,135 new cases. It also reported 29 deaths on the day, which is the highest recorded in a day.

Sept 30: Kerala records 8,830 new cases. Of them, 87 per cent were contact cases. The fact that this unprecedented surge had come off the backs of increased COVID testing in the state is only little respite.

The Ministry of Home Affairs also released guidelines as part of Unlock 5.0. 

Sept 25: Kerala records 6,477 new COVID-19 cases. With 22 more deaths, COVID death toll in Kerala climbed to 635.

Sept 21: Kerala's death toll reached 553 with 18 new deaths on Monday. 2,910 coronavirus positive cases and 3,022 recoveries were recorded on the day.

Sept 20: Kerala records 4,696 COVID cases on Sunday. It is the fourth consecutive day that the state is reporting more than 4000 cases. With this, the number of active COVID cases in the state surged to 39,415.

Sept 19: Kerala recordes 4,644 COVID cases on Saturday. It is the third consecutive day that the state is reporting more than 4000 cases in a day. With this, the number of active COVID cases in the state rises to 37,488.

This surge in COVID cases comes just days ahead of a slew of lockdown relaxations announced by the Centre. Though the Chief Secretary has said that these guidelines will be implemented in Kerala too from September 21, there still lingers a lack of clarity over the matter.

Sept 18: Kerala's COVID-19 case count reached 1,26,381 on Friday, with the state reporting 4,167 fresh cases. With 12 deaths, the COVID-19 toll crossed the 500-mark.

Sept 17: Kerala daily COVID-19 tally breaches 4,000 mark for the first time with 4,351 new cases.

Sept 16: Kerala records 3,830 COVID cases and 2,263 recoveries

The fact that this record spike in cases comes in wake of increased testing in the state offers only little respite. With 93 per cent of the new cases (3,562) having been contracted through contact, it is evident that local transmission continues unabated in several districts.

Sept 15: Kerala reported 3,215 new COVID cases and 2,532 recoveries. For the first time, Thiruvananthapuram recorded 650+ cases. Of them, 626 had contracted the virus through contact. Malappuram, Alappuzha, Kozhikode and Ernakulam too posted worrying figures.

Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan warned that any negligence now will result in severe consequences. Today, 5,901 cases of people not wearing masks were reported in the state. Vijayan also condemned the Opposition-led protests in the state capital in complete violation of the COVID rules. 

Sept 14: Kerala reported 2,540 new COVID-19 cases and 2,110 recoveries. With 15 more deaths, COVID deaths in the state crossed the 450-mark (454). Efforts are on to increase the number of daily tests to 50,000. A COVID Brigade too has been formed to mitigate the threats posed by COVID and to curb its spread.

Sept 11: Kerala reported more than 1 lakh cases so far and the COVID-19 death toll crossed 400-mark.

Sept 8: Kerala reported 3,026 new COVID cases. With over 89 per cent of the new cases having contracted through contact (2,723), it is evident that local transmission continues unabated in the state.

Sept 6: Kerala's daily COVID-19 cases crosses 3,000 for the first time with 3,082 new infections.

Sept 4: Kerala's COVID-19 tally breaches the 80K-mark with 2,479 new cases.

Sept 1: Kerala's COVID-19 death toll breaches 300-mark. With 7 new deaths, the toll rose to 305.

Aug 29: Kerala's COVID-19 tally breaches 70k-mark with 2,397 new cases on Saturday and death toll rises to 280.

Aug 28: Kerala recorded the highest single-day spike with 2,543 fresh COVID-19 cases, taking the total caseload to 69,304.  

Aug 25: Kerala records second highest single-day spike with 2,375 fresh COVID-19 cases  

Aug 24: After staying above 1,900 for five days in a row, Kerala heaved a sigh of relief in the day with new COVID cases dropping to 1,242.

A single-day spike of 61,408 COVID-19 cases took India's virus caseload past the 31-lakh mark, a day after it crossed 30 lakh, while recoveries surged to 23,38,035 pushing the recovery rate to over 75 per cent. India's COVID-19 caseload mounted to 31,06,348, while the death toll climbed to 57,542 with 836 fatalities.

Aug 23: Kerala's daily COVID-19 case count stayed above 1,900 for five days in a row with 1,908 new infections being reported.

India's COVID-19 tally hurtled past the 30-lakh mark, just 16 days after it crossed 20 lakh.

Aug 22: Kerala's single-day COVID-19 case count crossed the 2,000-mark for the second time with 2,172 new infections.

In the past five days, more than 10,000 cases have been reported in the state taking the tally to 56,354.

Aug 19: Kerala's COVID-19 tally breached the 50,000-mark 202 days after the first case was reported in the state on January 30, 2020.

Kerala's single-day COVID-19 case count crossed the 2,000-mark for the first time with 2,333 new cases, the highest spike so far. 

Aug 18: Kerala records 1,758 new COVID cases. This is the sixth day that the state is reporting 1,500+ cases. Six deaths were also reported taking the death toll to 175. 

Aug 17: Kerala recorded 1,725 positive cases. Thirteen deaths too were reported in the state. Meanwhile, total COVID cases in India breached the 26-lakh mark. The only silver lining is perhaps the rising recovery rate. Over 12 lakh people have been cured of the virus so far.

Aug 16: With 10 deaths, the COVID-19 death toll crosses 150 mark in Kerala. While the state took over six months to reach the 100 mark, it took just two weeks to add the next 50 deaths to the list.

Aug 15: Kerala recorded 1,608 new positive cases, making it the twelfth consecutive day that the state has single-day cases have crossed the 1000-mark. It is also the highest number of positive cases that the state has seen since the outbreak first began over six months ago. In wake of the recent surge, the government has revised COVID testing guidelines.

Aug 14: Kerala records 1,569 new positive cases. In a slight relief, 1,094 patients were cured of the virus.

Aug 13: Kerala registers 1,564 new positive cases. The state is reporting 1000+ cases for the tenth consecutive day. There were also 766 recoveries.

Aug 12: Kerala recorded 1,212 new positive cases and 880 recoveries. Fifty-nine inmates of Poojapura Central Jail too tested positive.

Aug 11: Kerala recorded 1,417 new COVID-19 cases, 1,426 recoveries.  

Aug 10: Kerala's COVID-19 tally crosses 35,000 with 1,184 new cases.

India's novel coronavirus tally crosses the 22-lakh mark with 62,064 new cases, while the recoveries surge to over 15.35 lakh.

Aug 9: Kerala recorded 1,211 new positive cases and 970 recoveries on Sunday. With two more deaths, the official COVID toll in the state rises to 108.

Aug 8: Kerala recorded its highest single-day spike on Saturday with 1,420 new cases. 1,715 were cured of the virus.

Aug 6: Kerala's COVID-19 tally crosses the 30,000-mark with 1,298 new cases being reported. This is the highest single-day case count reported from the state till date. 

Aug 5: Kerala recorded 1,195 fresh COVID-19 cases on the day.

Aug 4: Kerala recorded 1,083 new COVID-19 cases and 1,021 recoveries on Tuesday. Of the new cases, 902 contracted the disease through contact. Three more persons succumbed to the disease, taking the total death toll to 87. Read more.

Aug 3: India's case tally crosses 18 lakh, recoveries surge to 11.86 lakh while Kerala recorded 962 new COVID-19 cases, 815 recoveries on Monday.

Aug 2: Kerala records 1,169 new COVID-19 cases. Read here.

Aug 1: Kerala reported 1,129 COVID-19 cases and 752 recoveries on Saturday.

July 31: Kerala reported 1,310 new positive cases and 864 recoveries on Friday.

July 30: India saw its highest single-day spike of 52,123 new positive cases on Thursday. With this, COVID count in the country soared to 15,83,792. Of them, 5,28,242 are active cases while 10,20,582 have recovered.

July 29: Kerala registered 903 new positive cases and 641 recoveries on Wednesday. WIth this, the total number of COVID cases in the state rose to 21,797.

July 28: The COVID-19 tally crossed the milestone 20,000-mark in Kerala on Tuesday, 180 days after the first case was reported in the state on January 30. With 1,167 new cases, the number of patients under treatment also surpassed the 10,000 mark for the first time.

Sixth months into Kerala's fight against COVID, a recap of all that transpired. Read here.

July 26: Total number of COVID tally crosses 19,000 mark in Kerala with 927 new cases.

July 25: Kerala COVID-19 cases breached the uneasy 1,000-mark for the 3rd time in 4 days as it recorded the highest single-day spike with 1,103 fresh cases. The state also registered over 1,049 recoveries.

July 24: After posting 1000-plus cases for two days in a row, Kerala enjoyed a small reprieve with COVID recoveries outnumbering positive cases for the first time in weeks. Kerala reported 885 new COVID cases and 968 recoveries.

July 23: Kerala reported 1,078 new cases and 432 recoveries. With this, the total number of coronavirus cases in the state rose to 16,110. It is the second day in a row that Kerala is posting a number past the dreaded 1000-mark. Thiruvananthapuram reported the most cases (222) while its neighbouring district Kollam posted 106 new cases. Ernakulam reported 100 cases.

July 22: The number of COVID-19 cases recorded in Kerala in a single day crossed 1000 for the first time since the first case was reported on January 30. 

The state recorded 1038 new new COVID-19 cases and 272 recoveries. Of this, 785 contracted the disease through contact.

July 21: Kerala reported 720 new COVID-19 cases and 274 recoveries on Tuesday. With this, the total number of cases in the state rose to 13,994. Despite stringent measures, local transmission continues unabated in several regions - especially in Thiruvananthapuram and Ernakulam districts. Of the new cases, 528 had contracted the virus through contact. The source of infection is unknown in 34 cases.

July 20: Kerala reported 794 new positive cases on Monday. Of them, 51 contracted the disease through contact. The state also reported 245 recoveries.

India crosses 11 lakh mark, adds 1 lakh cases to tally in 3 days.

July 19: Kerala reported 821 cases on Sunday. It is for the first time in the state more than 800 cases were being recorded.

COVID deaths across the world crossed the dreaded 600,000 mark on Sunday. Since the outbreak of the virus in Wuhan, over 14,440,000 people have contracted the virus. Of them, 5,209,136 are active cases. 8,625,750 have recovered.

July 18: Kerala saw a dip in COVID cases on Saturday compared to the past four days. The state reported 593 new positive cases and 204 recoveries.

July 17: COVID cases in Kerala skyrocketed to 791 on Friday. Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan admitted in a press conference that community transmission is responsible for the recent surge in cases. He said of the 791 cases reported today, 532 contracted the disease through contact.

July 16: Kerala reported 722 COVID-19 cases. It is reporting more than 700 cases were reported. The total number of cases in the state crossed 10,000 to touch 10,275 cases.

July 15: Kerala 623 new positive cases reported in Kerala on Wednesday, 196 recover.  

July 14: Kerala reports 608 cases, including 396 infections through contact on Tuesday.  

July 12: Kerala reported 435 new COVID cases on Sunday. This is the third day in a row that the state is posting more than 400 cases. A total of 132 people were cured of the disease.

Lockdown for a week more in Thiruvananthapuram. Triple lockdown only along the coast...Read more.

July 11: Record 488 new COVID-19 cases in Kerala on Saturday, 143 recover

July 10: In a press conference on Friday, Kerala Chief Minister informed that 416 people tested positive for coronavirus and 112 were cured of the disease in the state. Of the new cases, 204 had contracted the disease through contact.

July 9: Kerala recorded 339 new COVID-19 cases on Thursday. Of them, 133 had contracted the disease through contact. A total of 149 people recovered from the disease.

Read: Call it by any other name, it is community transmission along Thiruvananthapuram coast...

July 8: Kerala recorded 301 fresh COVID-19 cases, Of this, 90 people contracted the virus through contact. The state also recorded 107 recoveries.

July 7: Kerala recorded 272 new COVID-19 cases. Of this, 68 contracted the disease through contact. The state recorded 111 recoveries on the day.

July 6: 193 people tested positive for the disease in Kerala while 167 recovered.

July 5: Kerala recorded 225 new COVID-19 cases and 126 recoveries. This is the third consecutive day that the state reported over 200 new cases. 

July 4: Kerala reported 240 fresh cases and a record number of 209 recoveries. The previous high of recoveries was on July 2 with 202 people testing negative for the virus.

July 3: Kerala reported 211 fresh cases. This was the first time that fresh infections in a day crossed the 200-mark. 

July 2: Kerala recorded 160 new COVID-19 and 202 recoveries. It was the fourteenth day in a row that the state reported more than 100 cases.

July 1: 151 new COVID-19 cases and 132 recoveries recorded in Kerala. The test result of Nadakkavu native Krishnan, who committed suicide in Kozhikode on June 27, also returned positive. 

June 27: Kerala recorded 195 new COVID-19 cases and 102 recoveries on Saturday.

June 26: Kerala recorded 150 new COVID-19 cases and 65 recoveries. 

June 25: Kerala records 123 new positive cases and 53 recoveries. The CM asked people to keep tab of travel history for contact tracing with teh help of a 'Break the Chain diary'.

June 24: Kerala recorded 152 new cases in the state taking the total number of coronavirus cases to 3,603. Of them, 1,691 are active cases.

June 23: Kerala recorded 141 new COVID cases on Tuesday. Kerala's test positivity rate, which is the share of positive cases in the total results declared and which was below 0.5 per cent in the first week of May, climbs to 1.84 per cent. Read here.

June 18: 28-year-old Excise driver dies of COVID-19 in Kannur, Kerala's toll at 22

June 15: Kerala reports 21st COVID-19. The 67-year-old S Rameshan died on June 12 but his sample was tested positive posthumously on June 15.

Kerala grants 7 day emergency pass to travellers with no quarantine requirements.

June 14: Kerala's COVID-19 recoveries trump infections for first time

June 11: Kannur resident dies of COVID-19. Death toll in Kerala rises to 19.

83 new positive cases in Kerala. 62 recover. Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan informs the revision of quarantine norms: No institutional quarantine for foreign returnees. No paid quarantine for poor.

Rent waiver and other relaxations were also announced to revive Kerala's Rs 4,500 crore-loss hit IT sector.

June 10: Kerala reports 65 new positive cases. 57 were cured of the disease. Ten had contracted the disease through contact.

Two COVID patients under observation at Thiruvananthapuram Medical College Hospital commit suicide. Kerala Health Minister KK Shailaja orders an enquiry into the deaths.

June 9: 91 new positive cases in Kerala. Of them, 80 had come from outside the state. 11 contracted the disease through contact.

Also read: Is low number of contact cases a sign of silent Covid spread in Kerala?

June 8: Government offices become fully functional in Kerala.

91 persons tested positive for coronavirus in Kerala on Monday. Only 1 of them had contracted the disease through contact. 11 were cured of the disease.

Kerala reports its eighteenth death. The deceased has been identified as Dinny Chacko, 43, who hails from Chalakkudy district. She was undergoing treatment at Thrissur Medical College Hospital. This is the third COVID death being reported from Thrissur.

June 7: Kerala reports seventeenth COVID-19 death. The 87-year-old Thrissur native was suffering from respiratory ailments and pneumonia.

With 107 new cases, COVID-19 cases cross 100-mark for third consecutive day.

June 6: Former footballer E Hamza Koya dies of COVID-19 in Kerala, death toll rises to 16.

Coronavirus cases in Kerala crossed the 100-mark for the second consecutive day on Saturday. With 108 new cases, the number of people currently undergoing treatment for COVID soared to 1,029.

India registered a record single-day spike in the number of new cases and deaths for the fourth consecutive day on Saturday. With over 2.4 lakh cases, India surpassed both Italy and Spain in less than 24 hours. It is the 5th worst hit nation after the US, Brazil, Russia and the UK.

June 5: Kerala crosses the dreaded three-digit mark to touch 111 new cases on Friday.

Places of worship, shopping malls, restaurants, hotels and offices set to open from June 9. Other than the central government advisory, Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan announced some state specific guidelines to be followed.

June 4: Three COVID-19 deaths reported in Kerala, death toll climbs to 15.

June 2: Kerala records 86 new COVID-19 cases.

Twelfth COVID-19 death reported in Thiruvananthapuram.

June 1: Virtual classes begin for school students in Kerala as the schools continue to remain shut due to COVID-19 induced lockdown.

May 28: Kerala records 84 new COVID-19 cases , Telangana man dies in Thiruvananthapuram.

Liquor sales resume in Kerala at 9am on May 28 through BevQ App.

May 26:Kerala reports 67 new cases

SSLC, VHSC and Plus Two examinations resume in Kerala.

May 25: Kerala records seventh COVID-19 death. The 62-year-old paralytic woman hailed from Kannur. She was under treatment at the Kozhikode Medical College Hospital.

Domestic air travel resumes amid chaos as several flights were cancelled without prior notice.  

May 24: Sixth COVID-19 death in Kerala, a 53-year old woman cancer patient, who had tested positive for COVID-19, died in Kozhikode hospital. Amina, hailing from Kalpetta in Wayanad district, reached Kerala from Dubai on May 20 and has been under treatment ever since. 

53 new positive cases in Kerala on Sunday. This is the second consecutive day when more than 50 cases have been reported.

May 23: Kerala records 62 new cases.

May 22: Exponential rise in COVID-19 cases in Kerala, 42 new cases recorded.

May 22: RBI reduces Repo rate to 4% and extends moratorium on loans to August 31

May 21: Kerala reports fifth COVID-19 casualty, Mumbai-returnee dies in Thrissur hospital.

Indian airline company IndiGo announced on Thursday that it will operate 97 repatriation flights between Kerala and four GCC countries- Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Kuwait and Oman

'Sprinklr will not handle COVID data, C-DIT will': Kerala govt tells High Court   

May 16: Finance Minsiter Nirmala Sitharaman raises FDI limit in defence manufacturing from 49% to 74% while announcing the fourth tranche of economic stimulus package with an aim to boost growth and create jobs.

Three flights from UAE bring 543 to Kerala on the first day of the second phase of the Vande Bharat evacuation mission.

May 15: Kerala does away with zonal classification of districts on the basis of COVID-19 spread. With the new development, more police will be deployed to ensure the strict adherence of quarantine and lockdown norms.

May 14: Kerala reports 26 new COVID-19 cases

May 13: Kerala records 10 new cases, the first time the State touched double figures since April 29.

Tax deducted at source (TDS) cut by 25 per cent for non-salary payments to residents and a collateral free automatic loans for businesses including MSMEs up to Rs 3 lakh crore, announced by Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman.

Two flights bring 339 passengers to Kerala on final day of phase 1.

First passenger train to Kerala departs New Delhi station, to reach Thiruvananthapuram on May 15.  

May 12: Prime Minister Narendra Modi announces Rs20 lakh crore economic package.

First expat flight lands in Kannur; 3 flights bring 650 to Kerala. INS Magar arrives at Kochi with 202 Indian nationals from Maldives.

May 11: Two Air India flights bring back 361 Keralites from UAE and Bahrain.

May 10: Indian Navy ship INS Jalashwa with 698 repatriated Indian citizens from the Maldives on board, arrives at Cochin Port under "Operation Samudra Setu". Air India flight from Kuala Lumpur lands in Kochi with 177 Indians.

May 9: Three flights with 545 passengers arrive in the Cochin International Airport from Kuwait, Oman's Muscat and Qatar's Doha.

May 8: Two flights carrying 325 stranded Indians from Saudi Arabia's Riyadh and Bahrain's Manama arrive at Kozhikode and Kochi airports.

May 7: India's massive repatriation mission dubbed Vande Bharat Mission begins. First flights to Kerala arrive in Kochi and Kozhikode with 363 passangers from Abu Dhabi and Dubai, UAE.

May 5: With three new cases, the COVID-19 tally crossed the 500 mark on May 5.

May 1: India extends lockdown for the third time to May 17. Activities permitted according to the risk-profiling of districts into red, orange and green zones.

For the first time since the second wave of coronavirus infection began in Kerala, the state reported not even a single COVID-19 case.

Train carrying stranded migrant labourers takes off from Aluva in Kerala.

April 30: Face masks made mandatory in Kerala

April 25: Ministry of Home Affairs gives nod to repatriate mortal remains of Non-Resident Indians(NRI) in the event of their demise abroad.

April 24: A four-month-old baby dies of COVID-19 at Government Medical College Hospital, Kozhikode.

April 23: Kerala government decides to cut one month's salary of government employees over a span of five months.

April 22: Kerala's eternal COVID-19 patient, one of the primary contacts of the Italy-returned family, tests negative after 42 days.

April 21: Kerala witnesses sudden spurt in number of cases after two weeks of downward slide. The state reported 19 cases on April 21 and 11 cases on April 22. Kottayam, Idukki districts report new cases after being classified as low risk green zones.

April 20: Lockdown eased in 7 districts, but the relaxations were later withdrawn after centre warned the state against the move.

April 17: Kerala reports just one case twice in three days.

April 15: 7 Kerala districts--Kasaragod, Kannur, Wayanad, Malappuram, Ernakulam, Pathanamthitta, Thiruvananthapuram--among 170 COVID-19 hotspots in India.

April 14: India's lockdown extended to May 3 by Prime Minister Narendra Modi amid rising number of COVID-19 cases

April 13: Subdomain for Sprinklr data entry on COVID-19 changed from citizencenter.sprinklr.com to citizencenter.kerala.gov.in.

April 11: 71-year-old Mahe native dies at Pariyaram Medical College. This is the third COVID related death in Kerala.

April 6: Several Keralite nurses test positive at Wockhardt Hospital in Mumbai

Karnataka eases border restrictions for critically ill patients

April 5: Kerala's COVID-19 curve shows signs of flattening with eight new cases. Kasaragod witnesses spurt in cases.

April 3: After distressingly high numbers the past two days, Kerala reports just nine new cases on Friday. But what emboldened Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan was perhaps the recovery of 14 COVID-19 patients in the state, the higest number to test negative in a single day.

The country's oldest COVID-19 patients - Thomas (93) and Mariamma (86) - were among the many who recovered.

April 2: Brian Neil, a British national who had been undergoing treatment for COVID-19 at Ernakulam Government Medical College, is discharged.

Brian was admitted to the isolation ward of the medical college on March 15 after he showed severe COVID-19 pneumonia symptons. His treatment was in news as it was the first patient to be administered anti-HIV drug combination to cure COVID-19.

A two-judge bench of the High Court on Tuesday stayed for three weeks the Excise Department order that said acohol addicts could be sold liquor if they could produce an 'alcohol withdrawal syndrome' certificate from a government doctor.

Kerala reports 21 fresh COVID-19 cases taking the total number of confirmed cases to 286. Of them, 2 had died and 28 had recovered. Active COVID-19 cases now 256.

Of the new cases, 8 were from Kasaragod, taking the number of confirmed cases here to 129; 5 from Idukki, 2 from Kollam, and one each from Thiruvananthapuram, Pathanamthitta, Thrissur, Malappuram, Kozhikode and Kannur.

April 1: Kerala starts distribution of free ration.

Free foodgrain, 30kg for priority card holders and 15kg for non-priority members, are distributed through 14,250 retail outlets across the state.

Kerala gets more testing machines to speed up COVID-19 screening tests, a WhatsApp chatbot to curb the spread of fake news, and a telemedicine service through which anyone can have their questions answered by doctors.

The 'Salary Challenge' proposed by Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan receives the cabinet's approval. The proposal was to ask government employees to transfer one month's salary to the Chief Minister's Distress Relief Fund.

24 test positive in Kerala taking the number of active cases in the state to 237. Of them, 12 were from Kasaragod, three from Ernakulam, one from Palakkad, and two each were reported from Thiruvananthapuram, Thrissur, Malappuram and Kannur.

March 31: Kerala reports second COVID-19 death.

Thiruvananthapuram resident and retired police personnel Abdul Azeez, 68, died at the Government Medical College Hospital after suffering cardiac arrest and paralysis attack while on the ventilator system.

Because it was not known who had infected Azeez, the government decides to completely shut down the whole of Potencode panchayat and nearby areas.

Seven positive cases too were reported - Kasaragod (2), Thiruvananthapuram (2), Kollam (1), Thrissur (1) and Kannur (!). This took the total number of infected in the state to 241.

March 30: Kerala reports 32 new cases taking the total number of COVID-19 patients to 213.

But even in the midst of rising cases, Kerala recorded a major triumph. An old couple, who had been in critical condition ever since they were admitted to Kottayam Medical College on March 9, have fully recovered.

In India, 92 new cases and four deaths due to coronavirus were reported since Sunday, taking the total cases to 1,071 and the number of deaths to 29.

March 29: Kerala reports 20 new cases. With this, the number of active cases rises to 181. As many as 21 people have recovered so far.

March 28: First COVID-19 death recorded in Kerala. Yakub Hussain Sait, 69, died at the Ernakulam Medical College. He returned from Dubai on March 16. He was tested positive on March 22. He hailed from Chullikal in Ernakulam District.

Kerala reports six news cases and the total number of active patients rises to 165, while 16 patients have been cured so far.

March 27: Kerala records 39 cases, Kollam records the first case.

March 26: 19 more test positive in Kerala, cases rise to 126, 11 recover.

March 25: Kerala govt shuts down liquor stores.

India suspends all domestic and international airline services.

March 24: Prime Minister Narendra Modi announces 21-day lockdown to contain the spread of the disease. 

March 24: With 14 new cases, the number of active patients rises to 105 in Kerala.

March 23: After 30 new cases were reported, Kerala announces lockdown till March 31 to contain the virus.

March 22: India observes 'Janata curfew'

March 20: 12 new cases in Kerala. 44,390 people under observation.

SSLC, Plus Two, university, ICSE and ISE exams postponed.

March 18: CBSE exams postponed.

March 17: India records third COVID-19 death in Mumbai, number of the infected rise to 137

March 16: 3 more test positive in Kerala, one from Kasaragod and 2 from Malappuram.

March 16: Union government orders all institutions, shopping malls, theatres, gyms shut until March 31.

March 15: Radiologist from Sri Chitra Tirunal Insitute of Medical Sciences and Technology, Thiruvananthapuram tests positive for coronavirus. Institute virtually shuts down a day later.

Kerala government launches 'Break the Chain' campaign to ensure hand hygiene.

The number of positive cases crosses hundred in India to 110. 

March 14: Central government declares COVID-19 a 'notified disaster'.

India reports second death in Delhi.

March 13: Three more test positive in Kerala, the total number of cases rise to 22 including 3 who recovered. The three included a Keralite who returned from Dubai, an Italian tourist and UK returnee.

March 12: India's first COVID-19 death confirmed in Karnataka.

Two persons test positive in Kerala taking the number of infected people in the southern state to 16. 

March 11: WHO declares coronavirus a pandemic.

March 10: 8 new cases reported in Kerala.

All mass gatherings banned in Kerala. Classes up to seventh grade suspended in all schools.

March 9: Attukal Pongala held amid coronavirus scare.

Three-year-old who returned in a Dubai flight from Italy tests positive for the coronavirus. The child's parents are tested positive a day later. 

March 8: Five Keralites test positive for COVID-19. The five include three of a family who had returned to Kerala from Italy on February 29 and two of the relatives they had visited once they were back. The five are admitted to Pathanamthitta General Hospital. Six others infected by the Italy-returnees tested positive a day later.

March 4: India witnesses sudden jump in coronavirus cases to 29.

March 2: Two new coronavirus cases reported in India, one case each from New Delhi and Telangana.

February 19: Test results of India's first patient return negative. She was discharged from the Thrissur Medical College Hospital a day later on February 20.

February 13: Second COVID-19 patient from Kerala discharged from Alappuzha Medical College Hospital, thereby becoming the first patient in India to recover from the illness fully.

February 11: The disease caused by the virus gets an official name: COVID-19. The World Health Organization says it wanted a name that did not refer to a geographical location, an animal, an individual or group of people but was “pronounceable and related to the disease."

February 4: Kerala government declares coronavirus state calamity after confirmation of the third case. The patient is admitted to Kannur Medical College Hospital.

February 2: Kerala confirms second case of coronavirus in another student from Wuhan. Patient admitted to Alappuzha Medical College Hospital. Kerala government opens virology lab at Alappuzha for testing.

February 2: India airlifts 323 stranded citizens from Wuhan city.

January 30: First confirmed case of coronavirus reported from Kerala. The patient was among the four Malayali medical students who returned from China's Wuhan and was immediately isolated at the Thrissur General Hospital.

UN declares health emergency over the coronavirus

For our reports on coronavirus, click here.