IDUKKI: Three more people tested positive for COVID-19 in Idukki, taking the total tally in district to 17. Peermade MLA ES Bijimol, who had attended a public event held in Elappara a few days ago, has been quarantined
The government had declared 4 positive cases in Idukki on Monday. Three more test results came positive later the night. Majority of the recently reported cases are people with travel history to Tamil Nadu. Of the 3 new cases, two of them - including a staff nurse and a politician - got the infection through local contact while the third patient had travel history to Bangalore.
According to Idukki district collector H Dhineshan, the three have been identified as a staff nurse working at the district hospital in Thodupuzha, a municipal councillor and a software engineer, who is a resident of Mariyapuram.
"The nurse might have caught infection through patients who were treated at the hospital, while the municipal councillor who was active in COVID-19 prevention efforts might have caught the virus through a contact as several positive cases were reported in the municipality earlier," the collector said.
"The health department authorities are preparing the route map of the patient and as per the preliminary reports, he had directly visited as many as 60 households in the municipality for prevention activities and those who have closely worked with him will be kept in quarantine," he said.
He added that the patients were shifted to the district hospital on Monday night itself and efforts are on to collect the swab samples of the nurse's family members and colleagues.
The Collector said that the district administration is expecting more cases to be reported in Idukki in the coming days as results of 300 swab samples of persons belonging to the high-risk category is sent for testing.
In a review meeting held at the collectorate on Tuesday, Power Minister MM Mani has directed the officials to increase surveillance in the border check posts to prevent people from Tamil Nadu entering Idukki. "Inter-state border points have been closed while Section 144 has been imposed in 28 wards in the panchayaths belonging to the hotspot list," he said.
Peermade MLA E S Bijimol quarantined
Peermade MLA ES Bijimol went to home quarantine on Tuesday as she had attended a public event held in Elappara a few days ago. In the Elappara panchayath alone as many as four COVID-19 cases were reported since Thursday.
A 35-year-old man, who had travel history to Mysore, was tested positive on Thursday and his 62-year-old mother also declared COVID-19 following this. A 41-year-old doctor with the Elappara PHC and a 54-year woman, who is a resident of Elappara also caught virus through contact with the 62-year-old woman. All of the patients have been quarantined at the Idukki Medical College Hospital.