Preparations are in the final phase in Kozhikode district for the safe quarantine of Non-Resident Keralites (NoRKs) who are waiting to return to the State from various foreign countries.
A district-level committee chaired by Collector Seeram Sambasiva Rao is supervising the preparations for arranging proper screening at the airport and ensuring secure trips to quarantine facilities set up with the support of the Health Department.
Within a week, facilities to accommodate over 15,000 people have been identified by the district administration in various parts of Kozhikode. It includes spaces provided by hotel and hospital managements, educational institutions and hostels. The search is on to arrange facilities for 15,000 more persons within a week.
Health Department officials said that after screening at the airport, those with suspected COVID-19 symptoms would be taken to the Government Medical College Hospital, Kozhikode. Only those found fit at the district-level screening would be allowed to opt for home quarantine and their transportation would be arranged by the district-level committee, they added.
The health of those placed under home quarantine will be monitored frequently by ward-level health squads. Family members will be directed to report on the health status of those in quarantine to health officials on a daily basis.
Till Friday evening, 47,076 NoRKs from Kozhikode have registered online on the portal of the Department of Non-Resident Keralite Affairs (NoRKA) seeking the support of the government to facilitate their safe return.
Similar quarantine measures will be taken in the case of Kozhikode natives who are currently stranded in other parts of the country following the national lockdown. Responding to the State government’s call, about 11,000 persons have signed up to return home.