Now, 14 people have tested positive for the novel coronavirus in Kerala . All 14 persons were infected through their contact from Italy. Earlier, three medical students from Wuhan were found to be positive for Covid-19 and they have recovered and left isolation wards.
Coronavirus resurfaced in Kerala after an NRI family from Italy visited the state on February 29 via Doha and avoided screening at Kochi airport. The family — husband, wife and son were traced on March 7 by the state health department and forcefully isolated at Pathanamthitta General Hospital.
Later, all three tested positive and they have passed the infection to close relatives. The new cases include a 93-year-old man, his 85-year-old mother, brother and his wife, sister, brother in -law and their two-year-old kid. Another family from Italy also tested positive.
From the investigations conducted by the health department and Pathanamthitta district officials, it was found that the Ranni town where the NRI family made frequent visits belong to the ‘high-risk’ category. The family and their contacts had travelled to Ernakulam, Kottayam, Kollam and Pathanamthitta districts without taking required precautions and mingled freely with the public.
Kerala has a declared health emergency and closed down schools, Cinema halls, banned public meetings, festivals and appealed the public to observe restraints in conducting family celebrations including marriages as a precautionary measures.
Now, 1,495 persons are under surveillance for Covid-19 in the state. Among them 1,236 were home-quarantined and 259 were placed in isolation wards in hospitals across the state. So far, Kerala has sent 980 samples for screening and 815 persons have tested negative.
While briefing the media after the cabinet meeting, Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan also appealed to the public to cooperate with the government to fight Covid-19 effectively.
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