The unpredictable 'hard to track' travel behaviour of two foreign nationals who had tested positive for Coronavirus has prompted Thiruvananthapuram district collector K Gopalakrishnan to make an emergency announcement on Monday. He has asked all foreign nationals who had reached the capital in the last 28 days to immediately contact the toll-free numbers 1077 and 1056.
He also wants them to report to the nearest primary health centres, even if they have no symptoms. He said strict action would be taken against those who failed to comply with the latest instructions. Tourism minister Kadakampally Surendran, after holding two review meetings on Monday, said the situation was “serious”.
The impromptu itineraries of foreign tourists are making it increasingly tough to trace their contacts. The UK national who had tried to escape from the country without getting noticed is said to have taken part in a couple of temple festivals. Pictures of the British citizen enjoying a 'pancharimelam' during the Kuttanalloor Devi Temple festival has gone viral. He had also made crash visits to small and big tourism spots including Athirappilly waterfalls. Though his travel route has been almost accurately drawn up, it is still not clear how many people he had come into direct contact during these wanderings.
The journeyings of the Italian who had come to Varkala looks more free-spirited, and therefore, highly problematic. The Italian's poor English skills have compounded the problem. His route map has also been traced but even health officials are not sure whether they have included all the areas he had visited. He is said to have spent time in both Thiruvananthapuram and Kollam districts.
At the moment, the district administration has identified 103 individuals who have come into contact with the Italian. All of them are under observation but 30 of them have been bracketed as 'high risk' and are, using the tourism minister's words, “in special isolation”.
But those who know the Italian describe him as a “restless tourist”. One of his many colourful traits was his child-like fascination for temple festivals. “He must have visited many temples in and around Varkala,” said Unnikrishnan, a tour guide based in Varkala. His route map shows just one, Kuttikattil temple festival. “I don't think even he would be able to give a precise date for the visits he had made to these festivals. He would not even be knowing the names of these temples. From what I have known and heard of him, this man just ups and goes exploring on a whim,” the tour guide said.
The Italian is easily recognised in the tourist areas as he has been an annual visitor for quite long. “He has some very dedicated friends here, too. Many say he is often found with two Kashmiris who run shops along the beach and he prefers to travel in his local friend's autorickshaw. The autorickshaw driver and the two Kashmiris are under observation but if they test positive, there could be chaos in Varkala,” Unnikrishnan said.
It was in his friend's autorickshaw the Italian went to the Government Hospital in Paripally when he developed symptoms. But he returned to Varkala in another autorickshaw. This 'stranger' auto and its driver are yet to be traced.
The travel history released by the district administration has the names of all the shops and hotels and supermarkets the Italian had visited during his stay in Varkala. But it does not mention the temples, houses and homestays he would have certainly visited. He must have attended at least two DJ parties in Varkala. A minimum of 300 people, locals and tourists, take part in these parties. There is a mention of one DJ party in the travel history released by the district administration.
“Locals love to dance with foreigners. This Italian guy being very sociable must have danced with many who came for the DJ parties. There could be many in Varkala who would still have no idea that they had danced with a COVID-19 victim,” said Jacob Sebastian who runs a small restaurant on the west side of the Papanasam beach. There are also many who would have ridden pillion with the Italian while he was doing his regular afternoon rides along the sedate countryside beyond the beach.
Government sources said tourists in Varkala, even those from low-risk countries, have been asked to stay indoors till they have tested negative for the virus. A New Zealand couple who checked out on Monday morning was asked by the police to return to their resort till their serums were cleared.
