Coronavirus Kerala: One of the infected individuals is being treated in Kozhikode, while the second is receiving treatment in Kochi, the government said
Thiruvananthapuram, May 9:
Two Indians, who were among the 363 brought back from Abu Dhabi and Dubai via special Air India flights that landed in Kerala on Thursday, have tested positive for the COVID-19 virus, the state government said this evening.
One of the infected individuals is being treated in Kozhikode, while the second is receiving treatment in Kochi, the government added.
The new cases have taken the number of coronavirus cases in the state to 505, with 17 people still in hospital. Four deaths have been linked to the virus and 484 have been successfully treated.
On Friday Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan said that while the state had been successful in containing the COVID-19 virus so far, it must ready itself for a possible third wave of infection linked to the arrival of repatriated Indians.
In addition to the Air India flights from the Gulf region, 698 Indians are being transported from the Maldives to Kochi via Indian Navy warship INS Jalashwa.
Mr Vijayan said that while Kerala had managed to flatten the coronavirus infection curve in 100 days, people had to be “more careful in the coming days.
On Monday, the centre had announced plans for a phased repatriation of citizens stranded abroad since May 7, in what was billed as the biggest such exercise since Air India flew back 1.7 lakh Indians during the first Gulf War.
Under government guidelines, all those being brought back were required to take coronavirus anti-body tests at respective points of departure, and go through multi-level screenings, including thermal checks, on arrival in India.
They will also be required to go through a seven-day government quarantine on arrival and take a RT-PCR test (that must return negative) before spending a further seven days in home quarantine.
