The number of COVID-19 cases continues to rise in the district with 13 more testing positive on Sunday.
Of these, 11 came from abroad and one from Mumbai. One person contracted the disease through contact.
Among the foreign returnees, four had come from Saudi Arabia. A young man from Venmony reached the district on June 15. A 63-year-old native of Vandanam came on June 30. Two persons, a young man from Ambalappuzha and a 58-year-old woman from Alappuzha, came on July 1.
From Kuwait
Another three came from Kuwait. A teenager from Ambalappuzha reached the district on June 18. Two young men hailing from Veliyanad and Mannar came on June 28 and June 30 respectively.
Two persons, a young man from Budhanoor and a 60-year-old native of Ambalappuzha, came back from Qatar on June 12 and June 18 respectively. A 51-year-old man from Bharanikavu reached the district from Bahrain on June 23. A young man from Ambalappuzha came from the UAE on June 14. The person from Mumbai who is a native of Ambalappuzha came by train on June 25.
A young man hailing from Venmony contracted SARS-CoV-2 through contact. Officials said it was suspected that he contracted the disease while undergoing treatment for other ailments at a private hospital at Thiruvalla. The source of his infection is unknown.
The source of infection of at least five persons who tested positive for SARS-CoV-2 in the district last week remains unidentified.
District Collector A. Alexander urged people to maintain utmost caution to prevent the spread of the disease. He said that the source of infection of a couple of cases reported from the coastal belt in recent days was yet to be traced. “People living along the coastal belt in the district should maintain caution. People should avoid unnecessary house visits and get-togethers,” Mr. Alexander said.
Containment zones
Meanwhile, the government has declared ward 15 in Ezhupunna, ward 2 in Ambalappuzha South and ward 7 in Cheriyanad grama panchayat as containment zones.
The number of active COVID-19 cases in the district stands at 199.