The COVID-19 positivity rate in the Nilgiris has increased sharply from 0.6 percent just a few weeks ago to around 9% currently, officials said.
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Over the last few weeks, the number of COVID-19 cases reported in the district has increased sharply, with Tuesday witnessing another recent high of 122 cases. As a result, the Health Department has increased the number of tests being undertaken each day, with anywhere between 1,400 to 1,500 tests being carried out across the district on an average.
Health officials said that 173 persons who have shown symptoms consistent with COVID-19 are under home quarantine in the Nilgiris.
Meanwhile, 121 persons who returned from seven foreign countries have also been asked to quarantine at home for seven days. All except 32 of the 121 persons who travelled to the Nilgiris from foreign countries have been tested for COVID-19 after the completion of their quarantine period, with all of them testing negative.
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A private school in Udhagamandalam has been turned into a COVID care facility with 189 beds available for patients. So far, 56 persons who tested positive for COVID-19 have been admitted to the facility and are being treated there.
On Wednesday, Nilgiris District Collector S.P. Amrith visited containment zones in Pudumund in Udhagamandalam town and also tourist places in the Nilgiris to ensure that only people who have been fully vaccinated are allowed inside.
Eom/ RPK