Total Covid19 cases in Kerala touch 24

Kochi: Two more Covid-19 positive cases have been reported from Kerala, taking the total number of cases in the state to 24. This includes the three positive cases which were reported earlier, who have been recovered and discharged from hospital.

A UK national, who stayed in a resort in Munnar and was caught trying to escape from the state after testing positive for the virus, and a doctor from Thiruvananthapuram district are the two new cases.

The doctor had recently visited Spain to attend a short-term course and had rejoined the hospital shortly after returning to the country in March.

Doctors and paramedical staff who interacted with the infected doctor are under observation. Twenty five doctors working in five different departments in the hospital were asked to go on leave.

Meanwhile, the infected UK national who tried to escape from the state while he was under quarantine in a resort in Munnar is admitted in Ernakulam government medical college.

The UK citizen along with a group of 19 other tourists travelled to different parts of the state for 10 days before undergoing screening and kept under observation in Kerala Tourism Development Corporation’s (KTDC) resort in Munnar.

However, before the health authorities could reach the resort to pick him up, he made his way to Cochin airport without informing the resort authorities.

His near escape was prevented through the last-minute intervention of the authorities. Though the team boarded the Dubai bound flight, the 20 member group were offloaded just 15 minutes before the takeoff.

The aircraft and the entire airport were disinfected after which the flight took of.

The authorities have shut down the KTDC resort in Munnar and the staff members who interacted with the UK tourists are under observation.