Thiruvananthapuram: After a day that threw up no new cases and gave visions of the virus losing its grip, Kerala government declared two new COVID-19 cases on Thursday. Both had returned from the Gulf; one, a Kannur native, had arrived from Dubai and the second, a Thrissur native, had returned from Qatar.
This takes the total number of infected in Kerala to 16. The two are now isolated in Pariyaram Medical College, Kannur, and Thrissur General Hospital.
An individual who had returned from Italy on March 11 has also tested positive at the preliminary test held in Thiruvananthapuram Medical College. The final result is awaited.
"He had come straight to home after screening at the airport. But yesterday, while having bath, the person felt chills. He called up the control room and was soon shifted to the Medical College," Health Minister K K Shylaja said. She added that there was high chance that this would be positive.
If so, the total infected in Kerala would be 17. The condition of the 14 already in hospitals is said to be stable, including that of the two old people who had been affected, the 86-year-old mother and 96-year-old father of the head of the Italy-returned family in Pathanamthitta.
"The old are however under intense scrutiny as we have no idea when things could turn bad," the health minister said.
The number of people under observation has shown a quantum jump on Thursday; from 3,313, it has shot up to 4,180. This is not an indicator of the virus's spread but only a sign of extra caution, of more people willingly isolating themselves in homes.
Of the 4,180 under observation, 3,910 are in homes and the remaining 270 are in isolation in hospitals across the state. In fact, the number of suspected cases in hospitals has come down from the 293 in hospitals the previous day.
Till now, 1,337 serum samples were sent for testing and 953 have turned up negative results.
Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan said that the situation is under control. "But we need to be cautious. We should approach the issue like it could go out of control any time," he said.
Pinarayi said that NORKA would get in touch with various embassies to ensure that non-resident Keralites (NRKs) who had been unable to return did not lose their jobs.
"We will also be talking to airline companies to see whether these NRKs could use the tickets they had already purchased to travel at a later date," the chief minister said.
He added that NORKA would also start a call centre for NRKs in distress.
During the press meet, the chief minister launched a mobile application - GOK Direct - by the Information and Public Relations department, which will provide details of the coronavirus threat, its prevention and precautionary measures.
The Kerala Assembly on Thursday passed an unanimous resolution against the Centre's circular barring the return of Indians from coronavirus-hit countries such as Italy unless they produce a certificate that proves they have tested negative for the infection.
The resolution moved by the Chief Minister said the circular was "inhuman" and was akin to "cruelly abandoning" the expatriate Indians.
Kerala has been hit by the second round of coronavirus cases after the country's first three positive cases in the state were successfully cured and discharged from hospitals last month.
COVID-19, which stands for Coronavirus Disease 2019, is the name of the disease caused by the virus SARS-CoV-2. SARS-CoV-2 belongs to the Coronavirus family with crown-shaped spikes on its surfaces. The name of the disease was given by the World Health Organisation.
Police to step up vigil
Meanwhile, the state police in a press release said details of people coming from COVID-19 countries to the state through Thiruvananthapuram, Kochi, Kozhikode, Kannur airports, would be collected by Intelligence ADGP from the Foreign Regional Registration Office (FRRO).
These people would then be located though health department officials and informed about medical tests to be done and treatment they should undertake, the release said.
The services of 'Janamaitri' police would be taken to explain to the people the dos and don'ts in the guidelines prepared by the state government.
Police has registered one more case in connection with the fake campaigns in social media on coronavirus.
The case has been registered in Thrissur.
Courts to function normal
Dismissing reports that courts in Kerala were being closed or summer vacation would be advanced in the wake of coronavirus scare, the High Court Registrar General said there was no such proposal in the offing.
However, all principal district judges have been directed to instruct officers under them that wherever litigants are likely to throng, it is not necessary to follow the regular court procedures;instead cases which will not be taken up for trial can be adjourned by notification.
"In other words, regular functioning of the courts should be continued," a statement from the office of Registrar General K Haripal said.
Presence of the parties shall not be insisted unless essential for the enforcement of orders of the High court or other superior courts.
Mediation and Lok Adalats proceedings need not be taken up during the period of alert, except for compliance of judicial directions, it said.
