VIRUDHUNAGAR/MADURAI

Three more persons, including a Health Inspector,tested positive for COVID-19 in Virudhunagar district on Thursday. The other two are from a village near Kanniseripudur from where a college girl tested positive a few days back.

The district administration has brought Saminatham where the Health Inspector resides under containment zone. Kumarapuram near Kanniseripudur, where the other two persons – an 11-year-old boy and a 29-year-old woman – reside has already been under containment zone.

Tracking of contacts of the three persons was under way, Collector R. Kannan said, adding the Health Inspector was coordinating with some of the positive cases in Rajapalayam in their tests and other formalities.

With these three new cases, the number of positive cases in the district has gone up to 22. Ten persons have so far been discharged after they tested negative. The 12 positive cases are being treated at Government Rajaji Hospital (GRH) in Madurai.

In Madurai city, two persons tested positive, bringing the total number of positive cases in the district to 52. One of the positive persons, a 70-year-old woman from West Masi Street, is the mother of a bhattar at Meenakshi Sundareswarar Temple. Collector T.G. Vinay said she had comorbid conditions like coronary artery disease for the past 10 years and diabetes. He said she was admitted to the GRH with fever on April 21.

A Public Health Department official said the patient suffered breathlessness for the past three days.

A press release from Adi Saiva Sivachariyargal Nala Sangam said samples had been lifted from all staff, bhattars and police personnel posted at Meenakshi Sundareswarar Temple. Tests were conducted on all the family members, neighbours and those who worked at their house.

The release also said the rumour that a bhattar attached to the temple who returned from abroad tested positive was false.

An official from the engineering wing of Madurai Corporation said West-North Masi Street junction and Town Hall Road also fell within the containment zone formed near their residence.

Another person who tested positive was a 60-year-old man from Sellur. The Collector said he was working as a watchman and had last gone to work a month back. He had no fever. But, he had breathlessness for the past one week.