Close contacts of the Kasaragod resident who travelled by the Dubai-Mangaluru Air India Express flight and tested positive for COVID-19 , are being jointly traced by surveillance teams from Dakshina Kannada and Kasaragod districts and home-quarantined, said Health and Family Welfare Minister B. Sriramulu here on Tuesday.
The Kasaragod resident arrived at the Mangaluru International Airport on March 14 and initially tested negative for COVID-19. He left by a private vehicle to reach Kasaragod, where he was under home quarantine. He tested positive for COVID-19 on Tuesday.
Dakshina Kannada Deputy Commissioner Sindhu B. Rupesh said the surveillance teams of the two districts have traced all the passengers in the flight and also those in the vehicle the passenger used to reach Kasaragod. As per the standard operating procedure, all his close contacts are being quarantined in their houses for 14 days.
Earlier, during the review of the preparedness of district to combat COVID-19, Mr. Sriramulu said the Chief Minister had approved setting up a laboratory at the Government Wenlock Hospital. The government has approved setting up laboratories in all the Government Medical Colleges in 17 districts. “As Mangaluru is close to Kasaragod and a good number of patients from other parts of Karnataka come here, we will have a laboratory here shortly,” Mr. Sriramulu said.
The hospital representatives said the laboratory will be in operation in two weeks when there are chances of spike in the number of patients.
Presently, the throat swab samples from Dakshina Kannada are being sent for testing at the Viral Research and Diagonstic Laboratory in Hassan Institute of Medical Sciences. There are four other laboratories at Bangalore Medical College and Research Institute, National Institute of Virology Field Unit in Bengaluru, Mysuru Medical College and Research Institute and Shimoga Institute of Medical Sciences. Additional testing laboratories have been set up in Bowring and Lady Curzon Hosptial and three other hospitals in Bengaluru.
“There is no proposal to rope in services of private laboratories for testing COVID-19 and it will continue to be done at laboratories of the government,” the Minister said.
Ms. Rupesh said as matter of the precaution directions had been issued to temples and other religious places to restrict religious fairs on their premises and not allow public gatherings. While cancelling all sevas at the temples, devotees are being allowed to have darshan of the deity, she said.
