No new coronavirus case reported in Kerala

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: No positive novel coronavirus case was reported in the state on Tuesday even with surveillance and house quarantine of people continuing. A total of 2,421 people are under observation in the state, of which 100 people are in the isolation wards of different hospitals.
Health minister K K Shailaja said that all the test results received on Tuesday came in negative. However, the people will have to undergo 28-day self-quarantine. “As per a central government review, the state is adopting best practices for identifying suspect cases and the quarantine process,’’ the minister said.
“However, we have to maintain strict vigil and surveillance. Home quarantine for 28 days is a must and no person coming from infected regions should be exposed to the public,” she said.
The minister said that despite the negative test results, the protocol cannot be relaxed. “The threat is not over. We have to be more vigilant. The people should go by the directives of the health department and our fieldlevel workers,’’ she said.
Till date, 190 samples of suspect cases have been sent to the National Institute of Virology in Pune of which 100 results have emerged negative. The health status of the three students who had tested positive remains satisfactory. “The primary and secondary contacts made by the three positive cases have been identified and they are under the surveillance. The first positive case had contact with 82 people, the second with 51 people and third positive case with 29,” said Dr Rathan Khelkar, director, national health mission.
“Even though we have begun testing samples at the Alappuzha virology institute, we are not supposed to declare the results as per the Centre’s directive. As per the directions, the positive result samples will have to be sent to NIV Pune for reconfirmation,’’ Shailaja said.
The minister said special advisories will be issued to the concerned educational officers for allowing leave to students who have been advised home quarantine. “They will be exempted from examinations too,” she said.
The health department has constituted a counselling team for providing psychological support to the families of suspected persons. For this 191
S counsellors have been deployed in the state.
Meanwhile, two persons who had arrived recently from China and were advised home quarantine in Kozhikode are learnt to have travelled to Saudi Arabia, ignoring directions of health officials. District officials have forwarded details of the two, who are related, to the state health department.
Following the development, the Kozhikode corporation council held a special meeting on Tuesday and decided to extend all support to the health department to avert such incidents.
“It is a matter of concern. It is very sad that the people are not taking the isolation protocol seriously. If they are not ready for self-isolation, they will be spreading the disease to the community. They are not realising the danger behind this,’’ said Shailaja. The government is exploring the possibility of bringing them back to the state, she added.
Kozhikode district medical officer (DMO) Dr V Jayashree, meanwhile, revealed that medical students who have arrived on the same flight as the student who tested positive in Thrissur have also been moved to observation.
(With inputs from Kozhikode bureau)