“The Kerala government has started tests in Alappuzha NIV. Now all districts of the state are completely prepared to take action
Thiruvananthpuram: The government of Kerala on Monday declared coronavirus epidemic as a “state calamity” after three people were tested positive. State Health Minister KK Shailaja said the Kerala government will take all the necessary steps to ensure that the coronavirus outbreak is effectively controlled.
While addressing media, KK Shailaja said all the districts are now prepared to take action against the coronavirus.
“The Kerala government has started tests in Alappuzha NIV. Now all districts of the state are completely prepared to take action. The government is trying to access the list of people who have come from Wuhan in China. We will approach the emigration department. This initiative will ensure we haven’t left out any individual in our suspected universe,” KK Shailaja said.
The health minister of Kerala said around 2,239 people, who traveled from the coronavirus affected countries, including China, are under observation across the state and 84 people have been admitted to the hospitals.
“Some are in isolation wards with corona symptoms, others are under observation. Around 140 samples were sent to NIV, 49 results came and out of that three are positive and the 3rd coronavirus case was from Kasaragod district. They have been in direct contact and connected to the first two cases,” she said.
“The major relief is that all positive cases people were kept in isolation wards. Currently, things are stable. There is no availability of medicines for coronavirus. Patients are supposed to follow the guidelines by doctors. They must follow the treatment protocol. The government is taking a very cautious approach to this. Around 82 people who came in touch with the positive cases have been traced till now. Out of 82, 40 are in Thrissur. The rest are outside Thrissur,” she said.
Shailaja said few people who have returned from China were evading the health department.
“Meanwhile, some people are unwilling to share their concerns or doubts with the department. This is a very dangerous situation. There are some people who were noticed to have been hiding this information from the department and attending public events, marriages, etc. We are urging the people who came from the affected regions to contact the government,” the Kerala health minister said.
Shailaja added: “Currently this isn’t a crime but this should be considered as a crime if they are unwilling to cooperate. We have kept an incubation period of 28 days. We followed the same protocol for the Nipah virus also.”
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