Health department officials said his sample was collected on June 7,result of which came out only this evening.

At least 30 personnel of the Kozhikode International Airport have been asked to go into quarantine after anofficial tested positive for the coronavirus infection on Saturday,officials said. District Collector Jaffer Malik told PTI a terminal manager of the airport tested positive today. Health department officials said his sample was collected on June 7,result of which came out only this evening.

The official had no signs of the disease, and was on duty today also,they said.. Consequent to this development, officials who were suspected to have come into contact with the manager have been asked to go into quarantine. This includes officials of the Airports Authority of India, the Air Customs and the Central Industrial Security Force, sources said.

Health officials are trying to trace the contacts of the official while he was on duty at the airport and outside. The terminal area and other airport premises where the official had been during the past week would be disinfected. “The disinfection processes is expected to be completed by tonight or by early tomorrow morning as there is no night operations at the airport now,” a retired senior officer of the AAI said.

It is unlikely that the airport would be shut, as some quarters fear.There are two terminals and one can be used for both domestic and international flights in case of shutting down one for one or more days, he pointed out.