After a prolonged phase of uncertainty that witnessed the district gradually moving to the Red zone, Kottayam on Wednesday joined the list of COVID-19-free districts in the State.
A total of 18 persons, including a patient from Idukki, had been undergoing treatment at various hospitals here since April 23.While 12 patients recovered from the disease by Monday, the remaining persons could leave the hospital on Wednesday with their swab samples testing negative twice.
The patients who left the hospital during the day were a postgraduate student from Channanikkad; a trader from Vadayar; a female nurse from Punnathura who works in Regional Cancer Centre, Thiruvananthapuram; a railway employee from Tamil Nadu who resides in Velloor; and a woman from Pala who returned from New Delhi.
The driver of a truck transporting eggs from Namakkal in Tamil Nadu who visited a few shops in Kottayam two days ago has been tested positive for the disease.
Shops shut
Following this, the Health Department on Wednesday directed these shops to close down till further notice.
As many as 21 persons who came into direct contact with the driver had also been put in home quarantine.
Meanwhile, the truck owner, who had accompanied the driver during the trip, tested negative for the infection.
The authorities have taken a serious note of the situation and decided to continue high vigil in the district. As part of it, 40 persons were advised to go in home quarantine, taking the total number of people in home isolation to 1,624.