Thiruvananthapuram, May 26 (PTI): Sixty seven new COVID- 19 cases were reported in Kerala on Tuesday,the highest single day spike so far, with Palakkad district alone clocking 29 cases and those under observation crossing the one lakh mark.

The total Covid tally in the state has touched 963 with 415 presently under treatment and over 1.4 lakh under observation.

Also Read | Dead Bats Create Panic in Belghat Area of Uttar Pradesh's Gorakhpur: Live Breaking News Headlines & Coronavirus Updates, May 26, 2020.

Of the total positive cases, 27 came from abroad and 33 from other states, including Maharashtra 15, Tamil Nadu nine and Gujarat five.

Seven people have been infected through contact, Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan told reporters here.

Also Read | Migrant Crisis: Supreme Court Takes Suo Motu Cognisance of Stranded Labourers' Plight, To Hear Case on Thursday.

While Kannur had eight cases, Kottayam six, Malappuram and Ernakulam five each, Thrissur and Kollam had four each and Kasaragod and Alappuzha recorded three cases each, he said.

"We have entered another phase with a lot of people coming from abroad and other states", he said.

The Chief Minister said he held a virtual meeting with MPs and MLAs from the state on Tuesday and all of them supported the government's efforts in tackling the pandemic.

Among those who participated were Minister of State for External Affairs V Muraleedharan, Opposition leader in the assembly, Ramesh Chennithala and former Chief Minister Oommen Chandy.

Vijayan pointed out that 133 people who came from abroad, including 75 from the UAE and 25 from Kuwait tested positive for the virus, while 72 who had returned from Maharashtra, 71 from Tamil Nadu and 35 from Karnataka have tested positive so far.

"On May 8, only 16 people were under treatment in the state and today 415 are under treatment,"he said and expressed concern at the increase in number of cases.

The Chief Minister said that the state would face immense difficulty if all Keralites in foreign countries and other states returned at the same time, as lakhs of Keralites are settled in various parts of the country and abroad. PTI

(This is an unedited and auto-generated story from Syndicated News feed, LatestLY Staff may not have modified or edited the content body)