With people returning to their native places in this district from other States, including Maharashtra, Gujarat, Andhra Pradesh and Telangana, increasing, the district’s COVID-19 positive patients’ tally touched 180 with addition of 44 more cases, the biggest ever jump in a day ever since the pandemic outbreak started rocking the district.
All the 44 patients are from Maharashtra. They managed to cross all check-posts en route but were intercepted at Gangaikondan and tested positive.
Since most of the families are returning from other States to Nanguneri, Thisaiyanvilai and Radhapuram taluks, the district administration has made arrangements for isolating them in schools on the outskirts of these places until their sample analysis results are declared.
In Thoothukudi district, eight more cases tested positive – 1 from Gujarat and 6 from Maharashtra and 1 in a primary health centre – to take the district’s total number of cases to 56.
When a family coming from Gujarat to its native place of Ramalingapuram near Kayathar was tested, a four-year-old girl tested positive for COVID. Since her mother is pregnant, her father took her to the Thoothukudi Government Medical College Hospital for treatment. Similarly, two labourers from Mumbai tested positive for the viral infection even as they were coming to their native places of Pudukottai and Koththaali near Kayathar during the medical screening at Thottilovanpatti.
When a conservancy worker working in the isolation ward of Kovilpatti Government Hospital was found to have contracted COVID – 19, she was sent to the medical college hospital. Subsequently, the conservancy workers, nurses and other staff of Kovilpatti Government Hospital have appealed to the district administration to provide them with personal protective equipments.
In Tenkasi, the total touched 61 on Saturday with the addition of 5 more cases of which 4 are from Maharashtra.
In Kanniyakumari, 2 more positive cases were identified on Saturday to take the tally to 37.
Meanwhile, 9 patients, all from Puliyangudi, were discharged from Tirunelveli Medical College Hospital. In Thoothukudi, 2 patients were discharged from the medical college hospital.
Virudhunagar
Virudhunagar district on Saturday recorded one more positive case for COVID-19.
An old man from Mugavur near Rajapalayam who had been going to Tirunelveli district for dialysis has tested positive. “His family members have tested negative. It is not known from where he has contracted the infection,” Collector R. Kannan said.
The number of positive cases in the district rose to 47 with 13 active cases.
Meanwhile, the number of people coming to Virudhunagar district from various States is on the rise. “All those who are coming from other States are strictly kept under quarantine facility for a week and sent home only if they test negative,” he added.
Meanwhile, the first batch of migrant workers from Virudhunagar district would be sent to Bihar on Sunday. A total of 450 persons from the district are being sent by a special train originating from Nagercoil.
“While most of migrant workers who are here for a longer period are convinced that they can stay back in the district after industrial units and construction activities have resumed work, those who are newer to the district want to go home,” he said.
