Speeding up the steps to diagnose COVID-19, the district administration on Saturday began the use of real-time polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) kits in various areas, including Pothencode where a 68-year-old man died a few days ago after contracting the disease.
Throat swabs were collected from 171 people who have been quarantined. They include 41 people, including 32 Pothencode natives who have been accommodated in the Institute of Management in Government (IMG) hostel, 100 in the Mar Ivanios College hostel, and 30 in the university and women’s hostels.
Separately, the test on samples collected from 97 other Pothencode natives yielded negative results. Besides, tests conducted on samples from 11 people who had returned after attending the religious congregation at Nizamuddin in New Delhi also showed negative results.
While no COVID-19 cases were reported in the district on Saturday, 289 people were placed under surveillance.
While 30 symptomatic people were admitted to hospitals, 17 have been discharged after being certified safe. They included a Malappuram native who was found infected with the disease.
Interaction
Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan interacted with legislators from the district through videoconferencing. Emerging from the discussions,
Tourism Minister Kadakampally Surendran said steps had been adopted to ensure the welfare of migrant labourers. There were currently 14,277 migrant labourers who were accommodated in 541 camps in the district.
While interacting with mediapersons earlier, the Minister flagged alleged attempts made by certain sections to utilise community kitchens for political gains. Strict action would be adopted against those found misusing the facilities, he said.
The police intensified their efforts to detect violations of the ongoing lockdown.
Arrested
The Palode police arrested 11 people for conducting mass prayers at the Chittoor Jamaat Mosque at Peringamala on Friday. Those arrested included the president and secretary of the Jamaat. They were later let off on bail. The Thiruvananthapuram City police registered 143 cases for various violations detected in the city. These included 36 cases registered under the Epidemic Diseases Ordinance, 2020.
Published - April 04, 2020 11:20 pm IST
