Suspected NRI patient in Karnataka tests negative for Covid19

Mangaluru: The man who arrived here from Dubai with suspected symptoms of Covid-19 coronavirus has shown no signs of the disease following tests, district officials said here on Thursday.

The man, who was diagnosed with a high fever after he arrived at the Mangaluru International Airport (MIA) on March 8, had left the government Wenlock Hospital during the early hours of March 9 refusing to undergo tests.

He was later traced and admitted to the government hospital at Bantwal on March 9.

He has since then been discharged from the hospital and asked to stay at home quarantined for the next 14 days, Dakshina Kannada Deputy Commissioner Sindhu B Rupesh told reporters.

A total of 49 people are under quarantine in the district of which five have completed the 28-day cycle.

All passengers arriving by international flights and those in contact with them should voluntarily report to the district health team and undergo self-quarantine for 14 days, she said.

Screening facility at the MIA has been strengthened by posting doctors from seven private medical colleges on rotation basis.

These doctors have been posted in addition to the medical officer at the airport.

An ambulance has been placed at the airport exclusively to shift people to the hospitals, she said.