Kerala reports 7 new COVID-19 cases, including Kuwait returnee

Fresh COVID-19 cases continued to rise in Kerala with seven people, including a returnee from Kuwait, who had arrived in the state on May 9, testing positive for the coronavirus on Monday (May 11), taking the total number of infected people to 27. One region in Wayanad district has been categorised as a hot spot.

A day after Kasaragod district was declared COVID-19-free by the health department, four people who had come from Maharashtra were found infected with the deadly virus, state Health minister K K Shailaja said.

A 11-month old infant from Wayanad, the grandchild of a truck driver who had tested positive after returning from the Koyambedu market, a hot spot in Chennai, also tested positive for the virus. The mans wife, mother and the truck cleaners son were also infected through contact earlier.

With the Kuwait returnee testing positive, so far six people repatriated to the state in flights from the Gulf as part of the centres Vande Mataram mission, have tested positive for COVID-19. This person has been admitted to the Manjeri Medical College Hospital. A man from Palakkad, who had come from Chennai, also tested positive for the virus, a government release said.

Meanwhile, there were no negative results in Kerala on Monday and till now, 489 people have recovered. “As of now, 1,307 people have reached the state from abroad in the repatriation flights from the gulf sector operated by the Centre. Out of this, 650 are under home quarantine and 641 are in COVID-19 care centres.

Sixteen are in isolation wards. 229 pregnant ladies have reached the state from abroad,” Shailaja said. At least 27,986 people are under observation in Kerala and 441 are in isolation wards. “The state administration has included Nenmeni area of Wayanad district in the list of hot spots of the state taking the total number to 34.

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As of now, Wayanad has eight cases, the highest number in the state, followed by Kasaragod with four. Kannur, Ernakulam and Kollam districtshave three cases each, while Thrissur, Malappuram have two each and Palakkad and Kozhikode, one each. With fresh cases on the rise, there is growing concern as more people are expected from the gulf and other states in the coming days.

Days after the state had declared that it had flattened the curve, seven cases were reported on May 10 and an equal number on Monday. Meanwhile, the state police has decided to monitor all those who had returned to Kerala from other states to ensure that they remain in home quarantine.

The state borders on Monday (May 11) continued to witness heavy rush of keralites stuck in other states due to the lockdown, even as the state government had directed that only those with e-passes would be allowed to enter the state. State Police chief Loknath Behera has written to all state DGPs and police commissioners to ensure that those applying for passes to Kerala have states COVID-19 e Jagrata pass.

A police press release also said those who have returned from other countries and states and are under home quarantine would be under the surveillance of Janamaitri police who will ensure that they do not move around meeting friends and relatives during the quarantine period. Over four lakh people from various countries, mainly from the Gulf, had registered in the NORKA portal to return to Kerala while least one lakh people from other states have also registered with the state government website.

The state border checkposts, especially Walayar in Palakkad, bordering Tamil Nadu, has been witnessing a heavy rush of Keralites wanting to return. The Kerala High Court had on Sunday directed the state government to take “urgent immediate steps” to facilitate the entry of those stranded at Walayar as several people, including small children, were stranded as they did not have the required pass to enter the state.