Unwillingness to take tests hamper containment in Thiruvananthapuram fishing hamlets

The virus continues to rip through the Thiruvananthapuram coast. On Wednesday, 212 cases were officially reported in the district and 80 per cent of them are in the coastal wards and panchayats of the district.

The district also had the highest number of healthcare workers testing positive in Kerala. On Wednesday, 10 of them fell prey to the virus, taking the total number of healthcare workers affected in the district to nearly 70.

Along the coast, the virus seems to burst open new fronts. It had used a fish market (Kumarichantha) as a vantage point to begin its foray into the coastal community. Now, the virus appears to have found a new base to engage with the coast: Kinfra International Apparel Park.

On July 28, 88 of the 300 workers tested at the Kinfra park came out positive. All of them were from Thumba, a coastal village under Kadinamkulam that already has two large virus clusters in Marianad and Puthukurichy.

When 100 tests were done on Wednesday, mostly among the primary contacts of Kinfra employees who had tested positive in Thumba, 14 tested positive.

"Many of the primary contacts of the 88 who had tested positive stayed away from the tests. If they too were tested, the number would have been higher," said Thumba ward member Roludone V. "I have information that many of the positive cases have called their families and told them not to cooperate with the tests," he added.

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Thumba was not under the COVID radar and tests were done mostly in Marianad, Puthukurichy, Puthenthope and Kalpana in Kadinamkulam panchayat. On Wednesday, Marianad ward alone had 12 cases when 25 cases were held there.

Kadinamkulam panchayat had over 150 positive cases when the virus was spotted in Thumba by chance. A youth who tested positive in Thumba during a random test conducted in the ward two days ago alerted authorities to the possibility of a Kinfra institutional cluster.

A general lack of cooperation has been a consistent worry for Kadinamkulam panchayat president Felix P. "Rumours are being spread that the lockdown and testing are mere means to divert attention from the gold smuggling case," Felix said.

No one turned up for testing on Wednesday in Puthukurichy ward where there are over 50 cases. "Our volunteers had made frequent visits to homes but still people don't seem convinced. Even those with symptoms refuse to accept that they could be infective. There are many here who play cards in the open without wearing masks," Felix said.

Nearby, Anchuthengu fishing hamlet, too, has not seen any lull in virus activity. On Wednesday, when 48 tests were held, 12 were confirmed positive. Anchuthengu, which has nearly 100 positive cases, is also finding it hard to bring people to the testing centres.

Far down in Karumkulam, which includes the other large cluster Pulluvila, the virus has not lost its wickedness. When 55 tests were conducted on Wednesday, 25 were found positive. By now, there are over 450 positive cases in Karumkulam, most of them in Pulluvila ward.

Kottukal, which borders Karumkulam and includes coastal wards like Adimalathura and Chowara, too has no respite. Only seven were confirmed positive in the panchayat on Wednesday but only 28 people had turned up at the testing centre.

"People are not willing to test. They fear that if they test positive they would be taken away to faraway places where there would be no one to look after them," said Saji T, Kottukal panchayat president.

Further south, in Poovar fishing hamlet where not many cases have been reported till now, nine people, including a 10-year-old boy, were found positive in Kallingavilakom colony. It is not clear how they were infected but more tests needs to be done to check whether more people in the colony have been affected.

Nonetheless, there seems to be some respite in coastal wards within the Corporation limits. For two days in a row, the Poonthura area reported just four positive cases. Nearly 250 have recovered, too.

Powndukadavu, which had threatened to flare up, had no cases for three days in a row. The Vizhnjam belt, true to trend, continued to throw up minimal cases. Kottappuram ward alone is a worry where 14 cases were confirmed when 40 tests were conducted on Wednesday.

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