Stephan Kayyar
Daijiworld Media Network – Kasargod (EP/MS)
Kasargod, Mar 22: Coronavirus has made the entire district of Kasargod anxious. Six more people were tested positive on Saturday, March 21, taking the total to 14 cases. Six others had been tested positive on Friday March 20. Most of the people who are infected had returned from abroad.
Five persons who tested positive on Saturday have been admitted to Kasargod general hospital isolation ward. As many as 12 people in Kerala tested positive on Saturday. While three of them are Kannur residents, three are residents of Ernakulam district. As many as 12 coronavirus cases in all were found in the state on Friday. With it, the number of infected persons has gone up to 52. Altogether, 694 people are under observation for the virus in the district. Fifteen among them have been admitted to hospital isolation wards.
The district administration has laid restrictions and controls that were not heard of in the past as the virus has been spreading. An atmosphere of unannounced bandh was seen in Kasargod on Saturday. Screening and security was in place on the roads that are linked to Karnataka. Traffic has been banned.
A week’s holiday is declared to government offices. Shops are ordered to be closed for a week. Buses were extremely few. Those were refusing to ply to towns due to Coronavirus scare. Deputy Commissioner Dr D Sajith Babu personally got shops opened before 11 am closed.
Cases were registered against 13 traders who opened their shops violating the orders of the district administration. The deputy commissioner (DC) personally got the shops closed. The shops are allowed to conduct business only from 11 am till 5 pm. DC Dr D Sajith Babu has warned of strict action if the people under observation in houses come out.
In the state of Kerala, in total, 53,013 people are under observation. Out of this 52,785 people are under home quarantine, while 228 are being monitored at various hospitals. On Saturday, 70 people were admitted to hospital. Throat culture samples of 3,716 people have been sent to laboratory for test. The report has turned negative for 2,266 people.
Cases were registered againt 13 people who opened shops violating the prohibitory orders. DC Dr Sajithbabu himself got 11 shops on the morning of Saturday. The DC has ordered that the shops will be open from 11 am to 5 pm only in the city.
Detailed route map of infected person
The Kerala government has published the route map of 47-year-old man from Ariyal in the district who was infected with coronavirus.
The said infected person reached Calicut airport from Dubai via Air India Express flight IX 344 at 7.45 am on March 11. From the airport he reached Zaheer Residency near Malappuram airport junction in an autorickshaw at 9.30 am. He went by walk to the nearby tea stall at 10 am. Then he went to Calicut airport and returned to Maithri hotel at 3.15 pm. He was at Zaheer Residency from 4 pm to 8 pm.
Between 8 pm and 12 midnight of March 11, the coronavirus-infected man went to airport by walk and went to Zafran hotel and had his dinner at 12.30 am of March 12. He went to Calicut railway station at 2.30 am and went to Kasargod by Maveli Express. He travelled in S9 coach. This train reached Kasargod at 7 am. He went to his home at Arial by autorickshaw at 7.30 am. He went to his brother's house at Mayippadi and visited Green Star club in the evening.
The 47-year-old infected man played football with children on March 13 and went to a saloon for shaving and visited his friend's house at Azad Nagar. In the afternoon he went to Juma Masjid at Ariyal and to the hotel near CPCRI. From there he went to SBI bank at CPCRI and Green Star club of Ariyal in the evening.
On March 14, the man participated in the marriage ceremony at Manjathadka and visited the petrol bunk at Uliyathadka at 10.06 am. Then he went to the marriage function at Adoor.
On March 15, the infected person participated in the marriage function at 12.15 pm at Manjathadka. He took part in a house-warming ceremony on March 16 at Kulangara of Ariyal at 7 am. He visited Kasargod nursing home at 9 pm on March 16. On the afternoon of March 17, he visited general hospital at 2.30 pm. He was at his brother's residence on March 17, 18 and 19 and got admitted to the hospital at 8.30 pm of March 19.
As he had visited several people during the intervening days, the route map released now has caused anxiety among people and has posed a challenge for the district administration.