Six new COVID-19 cases reported in Kochi

Five of them are part of 19-member group of deplaned British tourists

Six new cases of COVID-19 were reported in the city on Friday.

Five of them were part of the 19-member group of tourists who were deplaned on March 15 from a Dubai-bound Emirates flight as one of them had reported positive for COVID-19.

However, the wife of the UK tourist who is taking treatment in the medical college, has tested negative. But she is continuing in the isolation ward in the medical college.

All the other members of the tourist group are under quarantine in the hospital.

The sixth person is an NRI, presumably from Malappuram, who arrived at CIAL from Dubai two days ago and was straight away taken to the Government Medical College at Kalamassery.

V. S. Sunil Kumar, Minister for Agriculture, said at a press meet here on Friday that the five who had tested positive would continue treatment in the hospital while those who had tested negative would be sent back to their home countries.

The 19-member group, which had arrived in Kochi on March 6 from Dubai were asked to remain under quarantine, but the tourist group had managed to skip the radar of the surveillance team in the district and had visited tourist spots in Fort Kochi and Mattanchery, Athirappilly, Cheruthuruthy, Adimaly, and Munnar in between attending a temple festival.

When the group arrived in Munnar, the UK tourist developed fever and cough. However, in spite of the fever, the group travelled to the Kochi airport on the night of March 14 to board the flight.

Meanwhile, three members of a family who had tested positive here continue to be under treatment in the medical college. The total number of COVID-19 patients taking treatment in the medical college hospital are 10.

While the condition of the three-member family including that of the 3-year old boy is stable, the condition of the UK tourist continues to be critical, said the Minister.

Mr. Sunil Kumar said that there was no cause for any worry as all the contacts of the tourist group had been traced and put under quarantine. The surveillance team had traced 126 persons as contacts of the group of which 57 were from the airport.

He said the government had reached an agreement with private hospitals with regard to the isolation facilities to be used if required.

Surveillance intensified

Meanwhile, surveillance for COVID-19 has been intensified in the district with ward-level squads doing the rounds.

In the renewed protocols, all passengers coming in from foreign countries would be placed under observation.