Staff of a private hospital in Kozhikode city have approached the District Collector claiming that some of them are facing social boycott ever since a nurse in the institution tested positive for SARS-CoV-2 recently.
According to the complaint filed by a recreation club of the hospital, two staff members were waylaid by local residents at Perambra on Saturday night. This followed WhatsApp messages sent by a group of people saying that those who interacted with them were at risk. Health Department staff were also reportedly asking the staff to go on home quarantine even after it was pointed out that they did not have any contact with the nurse.
A member of the technical staff was reportedly prevented from fetching water from a public well at Koodaranhi. She has been shifted to a hostel. Some others were not allowed to go to work. Local elected representatives too have been accused of misrepresenting facts. A dozen similar complaints have emerged now.
The hospital management has lodged a complaint with the Kozhikode Rural police.
Meanwhile, 359 body fluid samples collected from COVID-19 hotspots in Kozhikode have been sent for lab tests, District Medical Officer V. Jayasree has said.
They were collected from Edachery, Azhiyoor, Eramala, and Kodenchery grama panchayats as well as some areas within the Kozhikode Corporation, she said in a release on Sunday. People who had been in contact with COVID-19 patients, pregnant women, people aged above 60, community volunteers, Health Department staff in offices and on the field, and those employed in local bodies and commercial establishments were covered.
