After a 40-year-old man who reached Walayar checkpost on May 9 tested positive for COVID-19, the health department on Thursday asked five Congress leaders — three MPs and two MLAs — to go into quarantine as they were also present in the vicinity at the time.
T.N. Prathapan, Ramya Hairdas, V.K. Sreekandan, MPs from Thrissur, Alathur and Palakkad, and MLAs Anil Akkara and Shafi Parambil are the Congress leaders who were asked to go into quarantine. Police personnel, health workers and mediapersons, who were in contact with the patient were also asked to go into quarantine.
The Congress leaders had visited the checkpost during the past few days to protest against the delay in allowing the stranded people from other States to pass through. According to health officials, the leaders were in the vicinity when the positive patient reached the checkpost on May 9.
However, Mr. Akkara said he had not yet been contacted by the Health Department and was ready to go into quarantine if asked.
The patient from Malappuram, who runs a juice shop in Chennai, had reached the checkpost along with nine others at 10.30 a.m. and was there till 10.p.m. as they did not have valid travel pass.
Later, he was shifted to Palakkad district hospital as he vomited and complained of headache and tiredness along with one of his fellow passengers. He tested COVID-19 positive on May 12.
