There is no let-up in COVID-19 cases in the district with 18 more people testing positive on Wednesday.
While 10 people had come from other States, five travelled from abroad. Three people contracted the disease through contact.
Of the cases, six are personnel of the Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP) unit at Nooranad who came from other States. So far, 14 ITBP personnel at Nooranad unit are found to have contracted the disease.
Three persons—a 48-year-old native of Cheriyanad, and a 55-year-old man and a young man both hailing from Alappuzha—had come from Maharashtra on June 18, June 19 and June 22 respectively. A 63-year-old woman from Champakulam came from Gujarat on July 3.
Among the cases from foreign countries, three had returned from the UAE. A 60-year-old man hailing from Alappuzha and two young men from Haripad and Arattupuzha reached the district on June 18, June 21 and June 24 respectively. Another two young men from Alappuzha and Chengannur came from Kuwait on June 20 and June 26 respectively.
Of the three who contracted the disease through contact, two are relatives of a fish vendor from Kuruthikkad who tested positive for SARS-CoV-2 last week. The third person is his friend.
Meanwhile, 16 people who were undergoing treatment for COVID-19 tested negative. The number of active COVID-19 cases in the district now is 221.
A meeting chaired by District Collector A. Alexander has decided to strengthen COVID-19 prevention measures at Nooranad. The administration has taken over the Government Higher Secondary School, Kudassanad, and 16 rooms in MR Lodge at Thamarakulam, which will be converted into COVID-19 care centres. The facilities will be used to quarantine the ITBP personnel, says an official.
With COVID-19 cases on an upward trajectory in the district, the administration has taken over three more private hospitals in Mavelikara and Karthikappally taluks. The medical facilities will be converted into COVID-19 first-line treatment centres.
Ward 12 in Pathiyoor grama panchayat was declared as a containment zone.
