No coronavirus case for record eighth day in dist

Coimbatore: Monday was the eighth day that the district went without recording a new Covid-19 case. The district will have to not record any new case until May 24 to be declared a green zone.
Meanwhile, the last two of Tirupur’s 114 patients were also discharged on Monday, making it a coronavirus-free district.
Coimbatore district last recorded Covid-19 cases on May 3. “Since then, all the patients with flu like symptoms and breathlessness have tested negative for the virus. All the pregnant women tested before delivery were also found negative in the last eight days,” said a senior health department official. “Regarding cases with a travel history, we have lifted samples from the Maldives returnees. Bus drivers who returned from Maharashtra and Koyambedu have all tested negative,” he said. “However, they remain under quarantine,” he added.
However, the results of three of the 53 people who returned from Maldives, are still awaited. The remaining 50 people have tested negative. Their samples were lifted on Sunday night, immediately after their arrival from Kochi by bus. Officials said the results of the three people were found inconclusive and hence retests were ordered. However, before the retests’ results arrived, the three of them were sent to their hometowns—one to Cuddalore and two to Trichy, where they have been asked to home quarantine themselves.
The deputy director of public health department Dr G Ramesh Kumar confirmed that all the returnees were asymptomatic. “Since home quarantine is now allowed for those with no symptoms or mild symptoms, we sent everyone home. In the scenario that they test positive, we will inform health department in Cuddalore and Trichy, from where they will follow up the patients,” he said. The 53 people from the state, working in Maldives, reached Kochi via sea and took a bus to Coimbatore.
With inter-district buses being opened and the railways also announcing starting of passenger trains in a phased manner, the health department has decided to shift its focus to people on entering the district. “So far, only road borders are open for incoming passenger traffic. Since we are present at all check-posts, we are quarantining people coming from hotspot districts like Chennai, Ariyalur and states like Maharashtra etc. However, even people allowed to go home are instructed to quarantine at home for 14 days and sticking stamps on all their hands,” Dr G Ramesh Kumar said. “We will continue this system once inter district buses are also allowed,” he said. “We have not been asked to test asymptomatic people coming from other districts so far,” he said.