The Centre on Sunday advised the Kerala government to lockdown seven districts.
The decision came soon after the Union Cabinet Secretary held a video conference with Chief Secretaries of respective State governments.
The districts likely to be brought under lockdown are Thiruvananthapuram, Ernakulam, Pathanamthitta, Kasargode, Malappuram, Kannur and Kottayam.
The move attempts to regulate pubic life by encouraging people to work from home and limit their access to communal spaces.
The lockdown targets localities where health officials had detected COVID-19 infections and flagged the threat of community spread.
Kerala Revenue Minister E. Chandrasekharan, interacting with journalists, said that there was no cause for panic. Essential services would continue un-impeded. Medical shops and grocery stores will remain open. The government has gone into a huddle to decide how the lockdown would pan out.
Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan is likely to make a public announcement on the development.
