India reported 3,47,254 new Covid-19 cases, an increase of 29,722 cases compared to the previous day,  and 703 deaths in the last 24 hours, ending 9 am on Friday. The country’s active caseload currently stands at 20,18,825 and the daily test-positivity rate is at 17.94 percent. 

Meanwhile, Kerala, which registered an active caseload of more than two lakh on Thursday, decided to impose lockdown-like restrictions on next two Sundays, allowing functioning of only essential services. As the State’s test positivity rate crossed an all-time high of 42.7 per cent, a review meeting chaired by Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan decided to revive the pandemic management and surveillance system, which had prevailed during the first and second waves.