Covid lab in Kodagu sealed after two technicians test positive

Madikeri: In the wake of two healthcare employees who were working in the capacity of laboratory technicians at the Kodagu Institute of Medical Sciences testing positive for the novel coronavirus, the district deputy commissioner’s office issued a release to the media stating that the laboratory used for testing swab samples for Covid-19 would remain closed till Saturday.
The release went on to add that no Covid-19 samples would be tested until the laboratory was completely sanitised. In addition to the two laboratory technicians, two more individuals tested positive for the novel coronavirus on Friday, pushing Kodagu’s tally of active Covid cases to 73. The laboratory is expected to resume normal operations from Sunday.
Meanwhile, after postal workers in Madikeri came in contact with a Covid patient from Navodaya Vidyalaya, the post office in the town was closed on Friday afternoon. While four primary contacts of the infected patients have been asked to quarantine themselves at home, the post office is likely to open after it is sanitised on Saturday.
Spike alarms Kodagu residents
Kodagu was one of the few districts in Karnataka that had managed to remain untouched by the novel coronavirus from March through May. However, the easing of the lockdown norms and unrestricted movement of people from other states and districts to Kodagu has resulted in the hilly district now being home to as many as 73 active cases. In the wake of four fresh cases being reported in the district on Friday, as many new containment zones have been designated in Kodagu, taking the total number of such areas to 30.