Hyderabad, Jan 2 (IANS): Just when the Covid-19 cases in Telangana appeared to be on a downward trend, as many as 22 members of a family in Suryapet town have tested positive.

Health officials said on Saturday that the family members were found infected after they attended the last rites of a relative a few days ago.

Those tested positive are residents of a gated community in the town. According to District Medical and Health Officer K. Harshvardhan, none of them has any symptoms.

"They are under home isolation. We are monitoring their condition," he said.

The official also clarified that none of the family members has history of air travel and ruled out their being infected by the new mutant strain of the virus recently found in the UK.

One of the family members, a Tuberculosis patient, tested positive during regular check-ups. Since he had attended the funeral of a relative, others who were present were also alerted.

The health department got Covid test conducted on a group of 38 people and of them 22 were found infected.

This is the first incident after nearly four months in which such a large number of people from one family has tested positive.

Officials said the family members who had gathered for the last rites were related to a 70-year-old man, who did not follow measures such as wearing face mask and physical distancing.

Authorities sounded an alert and collected samples of the neighbours. They also took up sanitsation in the township. The officials said there was no community transmission.