coronavirus in kerala

After three positive cases of coronavirus were reported from Kerala, the tourism industry in the state is badly hit, with tourists cancelling their bookings.

The district administration is gearing up to face any eventuality, anticipating more positive cases of Covid-19 in the coming days. At present, 900 people who are primary and secondary contacts of the three persons who arrived from Italy are under home quarantine.

An MBBS student of Alappuzha Medical College was admitted in the isolation ward of Alappuzha Medical College Hospital (MCH) on Tuesday after he showed the symptoms of coronavirus infection.

Chief minister Pinarayi Vijayan has cautioned against even the slightest of lapse in taking the precautions against the spreading of coronavirus in the state.

District Medical officer Dr V Jayashree said on Wednesday that 315 persons had been kept under quarantine at the hospitals and houses in Kozhikode district in view of coronavirus outbreak.

Chirakkara grama panchayath authorities, revenue and police have made efforts to keep watch on the 42 foreign tourists who have been quarantined over Covid-19 fears at an Ayurvedic resort and homestay here.

A three-year-old boy was on Monday tested positive for novel coronavirus in kerala's Kochi district. With this, the total number of cases in state has risen to nine.

The lottery sales in the district has suffered another beating after the hike in price on tickets last year. Covid-19 has again crippled the sale of tickets in the district, affecting the livelihood of thousands of people.

From noon the elderly woman had her gaze fixed on to the gates of her house for Raju’s arrival. With every minute, she turns restless. In Mallappally, a small township bordering Ranni, there are many elderly people like her, living alone in their homes waiting for Raju’s arrival. He brings them tiffin but it is not just for the food they wait. After all, for people like them blighted by loneliness, a friendly chat can mean a lot.

After the lockdown is over, the state government plans to quarantine the elderly and people with comorbidities who are at increased risk of coronavirus infection. When the movement of people increases, the chances of spreading the disease are high and then protection of high-risk group will become the utmost important thing, experts are learnt to have given their suggestions to the government.

The Cochin lorry agents association (CLAA) said that while trucks are arriving from other states, there is a concern regarding trucks going out of the state.

Kerala model of tackling coronavirus is now being emulated by other states. A team comprising the health officials and doctors from the Telangana has reached the state to study the surveillance system that Kerala had adopted when the first positive case was reported.

The state government's directive to shut down all educational institutions, including exam coaching centres, has hit the entrance coaching business in the city with most of them having stopped admissions for special crash courses. Also, many institutes have decided to refund the fees remitted by students and cancel the scheduled classes. Usually March and April are known for specials classes and crash courses for medical and engineering entrance exams.

When a 19-year-old medical student, who returned from Wuhan in China, tested positive for Covid-19 in Kasaragod on February 3, it was seen as an isolated case. Then, on March 16, when a person who came from Dubai tested positive, that was an alarm. Then it was a flood of positive cases till the first week of April in the district, which witnessed 34 positive cases in a single day on March 27, and 19 on March 23.

Southern Railway has cancelled services of ten trains, including eight special trains connecting Kerala, Tamil Nadu and Karnataka destinations. In a statement issued on Wednesday, railways said that in view of poor patronage of trains due to outbreak of coronavirus, the special trains stand cancelled.

The Kerala high court on Thursday said that the courts will not close due to threat of coronavirus. However, it has allowed lower courts to dispense with regular proceedings and focus on cases requiring enforcement of orders. Non-urgent cases can be postponed, the high court has directed.

Use of masks as a precaution against Covid-19 has become common but their unscientific disposal has made waste collectors employed by Kochi corporation jittery. The only protective gear that the corporation has provided them so far are cotton bath towels, which they are supposed to wrap around their face.

A total 8408 persons, including 263 who had arrived in Kozhikode from Covid-19 hit countries and states, have been kept under quarantine at the houses and hospitals.

The medical board constituted for the management of the nCoV situation, on Wednesday, recommended the discharge of eight people under surveillance at Thrissur Medical College Hospital following an improvement in their condition. The board however made it clear that they will now be under home quarantine for 28 days, as per protocol.

A priest of the catholic church has been arrested in Chalakudy for violating state directives on containing Covid-19 and conducting mass.

At the beginning of February, Kerala had the first and only three confirmed cases of Covid-19 in India – three medical students who had returned from Wuhan in China, the epicentre of the disease. In less than a month, all three patients were treated successfully and discharged, as mandated, from isolation wards after testing negative twice in succession.

A day after PM Modi announced a nation-wide lockdown, the Kerala government on Wednesday decided to shut down all the liquor outlets of the beverages corporation (Bevco) and toddy shops across the state.

Nine persons in the district remain under observation for possible symptoms of coronavirus (Covid-19) infection. According to a bulletin released by the district medical office on Sunday, two more persons who returned from countries affected by coronavirus was added to the list of persons under observation.

Kerala chief minister Pinarayi Vijayan announced on Saturday evening that the state will go in for "rapid testing" to help gauge more quickly and effectively the extent of the virus’s spread within threatened communities. Rapid testing will involve a blood sample instead of a swab and results will be known in 45 minutes to 2 hours.

The increase in the number of coronavirus cases in the state and subsequent restrictions have hit the tourism industry hard. After registering a robust growth in 2019, several restaurants and hoteliers are now staring at closure, and resorting to drastic steps for reducing costs.