The Kerala government on Friday extended the statewide lockdown by a week till May 30 to contain the spread of the coronavirus infection. Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan also announced the withdrawal of “triple lockdown” which was in place in three districts — Thiruvananthapuram, Ernakulam and Thrissur from May 16, as the test positivity rate and active case load have come down. However, the “triple lockdown” will be continued in Malappuram district. As per the state govt's health bulletin, 29,673 new Covid-19 cases, 41,032 recoveries and 142 deaths were recorded on Friday.