Kerala on Tuesday reported its second Covid-19 death with a retired police officer passing away in Thiruvananthapuram.

The 68-year-old patient with an underlying heart ailment had been in a critical condition at the Government Medical College in the state capital.

With no foreign travel history, the authorities are checking whether he got infected at a funeral he attended before falling ill.

Chief minister Pinarayi Vijayan said the deceased man had been to several places before taking ill. “It is quite possible that he got infected at one of the places he visited, as there is still no sign of a community spread,” Vijayan told his daily media briefing.

A 69-year-old man who had returned from Dubai had earlier died at the government medical college in Ernakulam.

Kerala reported seven new cases on Tuesday, taking the total number of patients under treatment to 215.

The chief minister said that barring one person who had arrived from abroad, the other six were primary contacts of other patients.

While Thiruvananthapuram and Kasaragod reported two patients each on Tuesday, Kollam, Thrissur and Kannur reported one each.

In view of the large number of cases in Kasaragod district, the government has launched a special action plan to control the situation. With 108 cases in Kasaragod alone, the government has been tough on violators of the lockdown. The district has been completely shut down and police have been tasked with delivering essentials, including medicines, to people.

The state government announced Rs 2-lakh insurance benefits for each migrant worker in Kerala.