Thiruvananthapuram: Prohibitory orders have been extended till November 15 in 13 Kerala districts to contain the spread of COVID-19. The 13 districts are Thiruvananthapuram, Kollam, Pathanamthitta, Alappuzha, Kottayam, Idukki, Ernakulam, Thrissur, Palakkad, Malappuram, Wayanad, Kannur and Kasaragod.

The prohibitory orders will continue to be in force in Kozhikode for one more week, the District Collector has said. Further decision will be taken after holding talks with authorities concerned, he added.

The prohibitory orders, under Section 144 of the CrPC, were imposed in Kerala from October 1 to October 31 after the state witnessed an alarming surge in COVID-19 cases. However, the chief secretary has now said that Collectors can take a call after assessing the COVID-19 situation in their respective districts.

The state reported 6,638 new COVID-19 cases on Friday and 7,828 recoveries. Kerala also recorded 28 deaths due to COVID-19 on Friday, taking the official death toll s far to 1,457. The state has reported over 4.25 lakh cases totally since the first case was reported in late January.