The district reported four new COVID-19 cases and one recovery on Tuesday. All those who tested positive for SARS-CoV-2 on the day are Non-Resident Keralites (NoRKs).
The patients include a 21-year-old Kulathupuzha resident who reached the Kannur airport from Tajikistan on May 28. After reaching Kollam on a special KSRTC service, he was placed in institutional quarantine at Karunagappally. He was later moved to home quarantine after his first sample taken on June 3 tested negative. After the second sample taken on June 14 returning positive, the person was shifted to the Government Medical College Hospital, Parippally, on Tuesday.
Another patient, a 27-year-old Puthur resident, had travelled from Kuwait to Kochi on June 12. He was undergoing institutional quarantine after reaching Kollam on a KSRTC special service.
The third patient is a 30-year-old Chavara native who travelled from Kuwait to Kochi on June 11. He had hired a taxi from the airport to reach Kollam and was in home quarantine. The fourth patient, a 43-year-old from Paravur reached Kollam in a taxi from the Kannur airport. He had travelled from Saudi Arabia on June 11 and was in home quarantine.
The only recovery from the district is a 19-year-old Punalur native. A medical student at Tajikistan, she had reached the Kannur airport on May 27 and boarded a KSRTC special service from there to Thiruvananthapuram. Her sample was taken on June 1.
Call against misuse
Meanwhile, the district administration has urged the public not to misuse the free quarantine facility. “This provision is offered to only those who have no facilities at home and all others can opt for paid quarantine. Our resources are limited and meant for only deserving persons who belong to economically backward sections,” said District Collector B. Abdul Nasar.
He also instructed local body officials and health inspectors to ensure that the facility was not misused.
