MADIKERI: With a 35-year-old man who had returned from Saudi Arabia testing positive for COVID-19, the entire Kuthimotte-Kondangeri village in Madikeri taluk has been declared a containment zone to prevent spread of the virus. A total of 306 residents of 75 families have been restricted to the village which has been sealed off with checkpoints. The district administration will provide food and other necessary supplies to the residents and all shops and other businesses in the village have been ordered shut.
As a precautionary measure, a 5-km radius from Kondangeri has been identified as a buffer zone. Except for shops selling essential commodities, all other businesses have been ordered shut in the buffer zone too. All kinds of gatherings, including weddings, have been banned across the containment and buffer zones. People who have been quarantined at home are being regularly checked with support and help from the police, Deputy Commissioner Annies K Joy said.
The earlier order on closure of all tourist places in the district from March 14 to March 21 has now been extended up to March 31. The tourism department in Kodagu has been directed to open a facilitation centre in the district to provide shelter to tourists who have already reached the district and do not have a place to stay.
Further, the DC has requested all shopkeepers, except those selling essential commodities, to close their business as a preventive measure. However, most shops in Madikeri remained open on Thursday.