Chennai returnee tests positive for COVID-19

May 27, 2020 12:00 am | Updated 03:42 am IST - COIMBATORE

His co-passengers are put under observation

A 24-year-old man from Rathinapuri, who came to Coimbatore on a flight from Chennai, on Monday and tested positive for COVID-19 has been admitted to Government Medical College and ESI Hospital, said Health Department officials.

The patient's count was included in the list of Chennai, said officials and the number of active cases in Coimbatore was zero on Tuesday as per Health Department's COVID-19 media bulletin.

Swab samples

Health Department staff had taken swab samples of 93 passengers, including the 24-year-old, on arrival at Coimbatore International Airport on the Indigo flight 6E 381 around 8 p.m. on Monday.

He was asymptomatic when Health Department staff screened him.

After lifting the swab sample, the man chose paid institutional quarantine at a hotel here.

He tested positive early on Tuesday, following which he was shifted to ESI Hospital.

Workers of the Health Wing of Coimbatore Corporation fumigated the room where he stayed while his co-passengers, whose test results returned negative, were put under observation, said sources.

According to a statement issued by IndiGo, the passenger who tested positive was seated on-board the aircraft with all precautionary measures including face mask, face shield and gloves, as were the other passengers.

No one else was seated in his vicinity, significantly reducing the possibility of transmission, it said.

The release said that all of its aircraft were regularly sanitised as a standard operating procedure and the aircraft travelled by the patient was also immediately disinfected as per protocol.

It added that the crew of the aircraft was grounded for 14 days and the airline was in the process of notifying other passengers to ensure their safety as per the government guidelines.

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