Seven people, including an employee of the Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre (VSSC), tested positive for SARS-CoV-2 in the capital district on Friday.
That five of the patients contracted the infection through contact in the State capital assumes significance as it comes at a time when the district administration has enforced curbs in various parts of the city to thwart potential community transmission.
A 41-year-old Manacaud native, who works as a technician in the electrical section of VSSC, is among those who was diagnosed with COVID-19. A resident of Thrikannapuram, he used to frequently travel to his own house at Manacaud and his wife’s house at Chala. Having developed symptoms on June 15, he sought treatment from two private hospitals in Thirumala and Killipalam between June 16 and 23, following which he was admitted in the latter on June 24. He used to work in the Veli research complex of the VSSC where over 10 people have been directed to go into quarantine.
A 60-year-old man, hailing from Puthenpalam near Vallakkadavu, who retired from the Liquid Propulsion Systems Centre (LPSC), Valiamala, as a technical officer on May 31, has also tested positive. He is known to have visited Valiathura recently to buy fish, a private clinic, and a pharmacy at West Fort after developing fever and cough. He also attended a function at his brother’s house in Kulathoor on June 23. He was also treated in the isolation ward of a private hospital at Chakka since June 25 until his swab sample returned positive. Both patients do not have any history of travel, official sources said.
Three in a family
Three persons, aged 50, 42, and 15 years, of a family that hails from Konchiravila, were also diagnosed with the disease. The 42-year-old woman’s brother, an autorickshaw driver who hails from Manacaud, his wife, and two daughters, tested positive for the infection last week. The 50-year-old man runs a stationery shop at the Manacaud market junction.
The other patients include a 28-year-old Tamil Nadu native, who came from Sivaganga by car for treatment on June 17 and a 68-year-old Chirayinkeezhu native, who came from Maharashtra on a train on June 22.
Meanwhile, the City police have recommended the closure of 17 shops for violating the protocol set by Thiruvananthapuram Corporation. Cases were also registered against 93 people for violating other lockdown norms. Moreover, 262 people were fined for not wearing masks outdoors.