Kochi: Five British tourists, who have been under isolation in Kerala's Kochi, were tested positive for novel coronavirus infection on Friday.
The infected persons were part of the 19-member tourist group who came back to Kochi after visiting Munnar in Idukki district last week.
They were offloaded from a Dubai-bound flight at the Cochin International Airport on March 15. Since then, they have been kept at isolation at an undisclosed facility in Kochi.
They were shifted to the isolation ward of the Ernakulam Medical College Hospital in Kalamassery on Friday, state minister V S Sunilkumar said at a press meet.
A group member, who was tested positive earlier, is being treated at the same hospital. His wife, who has been tested negative, is also in quarantine at the hospital.
With the new cases, the number of COVID-19 patients in Kochi has risen to nine.
Those who have been confirmed with infection on Friday are above 60. The eldest of them is 85 years old, Ernakulam Collector S Suhas said.
The remaining 12 members of the group have tested negative, the minister said, adding that they can leave the country as soon as their travel documents are cleared.
Travel history documented
The minister said there was nothing to worry about the new cases as they had already been quarantined. “Their travel history has already been recorded and primary contacts identified,” Sunilkumar said.
4,196 under home quarantine
As on Friday, 4,196 people are under home quarantine in Ernakulam district. As many as 107 new cases were reported on Friday.
As many as 28 people have been quarantined at hospitals with 24 of them admitted to the Kalamassery medical college. The remaining four are at Muvattupuzha General Hospital.
As many as 2,262 people, who arrived at the international terminal of the Kochi airport, have been advised home quarantine.
Private hospitals reserve wards
As part of intensifying the precaution against the virus spread in the district, authorities held a meeting with the representatives of 24 major private hospitals on Friday.
They have agreed to reserve 197 isolation beds and 94 ICU beds for quarantining suspected patients.
They have also decided to reserve 32 ventilators.
The government has directed private hospitals to restrict admission only for unavoidable cases.
