Expecting a massive influx of Non-Resident Keralites stranded abroad and in other States in the coming days, the Kottayam district administration has opened 234 isolation centres in the district.
As per estimates, 13,950 people from abroad and 6,200 people from other States have completed registration formalities for coming back to the district. The number, however, is expected to go up. According to officials, isolation units will come up in buildings, including hotels, homestays and college hostels, besides accommodation centres of religious establishments and government-owned buildings.
The authorities have also completed repair and maintenance work on these buildings, based on the inspection reports submitted by a joint team of Revenue and the PWD (Buildings Division).
The space, taken over under the Disaster Management, includes 3,500 rooms attached with bathrooms and over 11,000 dormitory-like space. “Of this, around 3,500 rooms are ready to occupy while the remaining space will be ready for occupation in the next couple of days,” said an official.
Meanwhile, the district administration also looks to open quarantine units at unoccupied houses to offer a common accommodation facility for returning families. Besides the charge officers for each centre, deputy tehsildars have been entrusted with coordinating the operation of these units at the taluk level.
Those with symptoms
Among the returnees, those developing symptoms of the disease will be shifted to the hospitals designated as COVID-19 centres for observation. If the facilities at the Government Medical College and the Kottayam General Hospital are not adequate, observation centres will be opened at various other government hospitals.
People returning from Red zone districts will have to remain at the isolation centres for seven days and can return home if they test negative in the PCR test.