Thiruvananthapuram,  Amid an increase in Covid cases and related deaths, the Kerala government on Tuesday decided to strictly reinforce the curbs which were in place till recently.

Consequent to this, the popular adage 'SMS' is back and so are sanitisers, soap, masks and social distancing.

The order states that those who do not wear masks while in public or seated in a vehicle will be fined.

A total of 27,218 positive cases and 229 Covid deaths have so far been reported in the state this month.

In the past several days, the average number of new cases has crossed 3,000, forcing the authorities to strictly enforce the Covid protocols.

With Kerala getting back to the pre-Covid stage and all educational institutions now open to full strength from June 1, there has been a spike in cold and fever among students.