A lorry driver from Tamil Nadu who visited the Thiruvalla municipal market and a district office-bearer of the Muslim Students Federation (MSF) are among the 26 persons who tested positive for SARS-CoV-2 in the district on Monday.

The health authorities have been left in the dark about the source of infection of the MSF leader.

20 primary contacts

District Medical Officer (DMO) A.L. Sheeja told The Hindu that the Health Department had identified 20 primary contacts of the student leader on Monday.

She said the contact list of the student leader was likely to be a long one.

His party had recently organised a protest meeting in the town.

Meanwhile, the district authorities have closed the vegetable markets in Thiruvalla town and at Kavumbhagom with the driver of a lorry that carried vegetables to these places from Cumbom-Theni areas in Tamil Nadu on July 2 testing positive on Monday. Municipal wards 33 (municipal market are) and 28 (Kavumbhagom) have been declared as containment zones following this, according to health authorities. The clinical examination results of the throat and nasal swabs of the lorry driver taken on July 2 reached the DMO on Monday.

Address traced

The administration here has traced the Tamil driver’s address in Theni district and recommended the district administration there to hospitalise him, sources said.

Localities

Others who tested positive on the day are natives of Peringara, Thiruvalla, Naranammoozhy, Pathanamthitta, Mallappally, Eraviperoor, Mele Vettipram, Pullad, Manakkala, Thekkuthodu, Thannithode, Pandalam, Konni, Aruvapulam, Ranni, Enadimangalam, Kottangal, Kidangannur, Mallappally, Thiruvalla, Vayyattupuzha, Kallooppara and Kulashekharapathi.