Coronavirus | 126 on U.K. tourist’s contact list quarantined

67 new persons brought under observation in Ernakulam

All-out effort: With the setting up of COVID-19 help desk, the police help the Health Department screen people arriving at Ernakulam Junction railway station on Monday.

The Health Department has placed in quarantine 126 people in the district, who had come in contact with the U.K. tourist who tested positive for COVID-19.

The tourist was offloaded from an Emirates flight along with others on Sunday following the District Collector’s intervention.

The Health Department had traced the contact list of the tourist, who had visited various places including Munnar and Thrissur.

Telemedicine facilities

Speaking at a press meet on Monday regarding the health surveillance and mitigation measures in the district, Agriculture Minister V.S. Sunil Kumar said telemedicine facilities were being utilised to speak to those in home quarantine. He said the police would ensure that those in home quarantine were not moving about in the community.

The Minister said the seaport, airport, railway stations and bus stands were being monitored through a co-ordinated effort of the district administration, the police, Health and Local Self-Government departments.

Sixty-seven new persons were brought under observation in the district on Monday.

Of these, 61 are in home quarantine and six moved to hospital observation at the Government Medical College. None have been removed from the observation list, but eight were moved from the medical college to home observation.

Hospital observation

There are 30 people under hospital observation in the district, of which 23 are at the medical college while seven are at the Muvattupuzha General Hospital. There are 741 people in home quarantine in the district.

Control room

There were 508 calls at the district control room numbers (0484-2368802, 04842423777). Of this, 262 were from the general public and 133 from those under observation and caregivers at homes.

The British High Commission Office also called the control room to know about the UK citizens under observation here.

The control room also provided counselling to 59 people over phone. There were also 75 calls from various healthcare institutions. The calls were to know about symptoms of COVID-19, complaints about not getting tickets to leave the country, whether those under observation can go for examinations and so on.