Malappuram: At least 60 employees of a fire station and a panchayat office in Kerala's Malappuram district were asked to go on quarantine after two people tested positive for coronavirus there on Saturday.
According to the health department, an officer of nearby Perinthalmanna Fire & Rescue station and another working with the Edappal panchayat office tested positive for the disease.
The fire station and the panchayat office have been closed for five days and they would be disinfected.
The official of the Fire services department is believed to have contracted the disease while disinfecting an office last week while the panchayat official is believed to have been exposed to a virus infected patient.
Health officials said the samples of the relatives and the contacts of the fire officer and the panchayat employee would also be collected and tested.
As a preventive measure, these contacts would also be put under quarantine for 14 days.
Meanwhile, temporary arrangements have been made to cater to the needs of fire & rescue operations under the fire station through a stand-by arrangement with neighbouring fire stations, department officials said.
According to the data released on Friday, out of the 1,303 active cases in the state, Malappuram district has 190 cases.
