KOCHI: The ten families, comprising a total of 43 people living in an apartment building at Chullikkal here, will be forced to remain under home quarantine for another 14 days. The health department asked them to go under home quarantine after two more positive cases of Covid-19 were reported from the building.
The 43 residents of the building were asked to remain in home quarantine for 14 days after Yakub Husain Sait tested positive for Covid-19 on March 22, He died on March 28. As per the earlier direction of the health department, the home quarantine period for the 10 families would have been over by Saturday (April 4).
“The 17-year-old son and 32-year-old daughter of Yakub Husain Sait of Chullikkal tested positive on Wednesday. Though all of them have remained under home quarantine, we cannot take the risk anymore. So we asked them to remain under quarantine for another 14 days,” said a health officer on condition of anonymity.
Yakub’s son and daughter were admitted to the Government Medical College Hospital, Kalamassery, on Tuesday after they developed symptoms of the virus infection. Earlier, his wife and the taxi driver who ferried him from the airport to his home on March 16, had tested positive for Covid-19.
They are now under treatment at the isolation ward of the hospital. “Yakub’s wife also tested positive for Covid-19 last week. If any other person from the building again tests positive, the residents will have to remain under quarantine based on the date of detection,” said the health official.
Meanwhile, the Fire and Rescue Services officials carried out a disinfection drive at the building on Thursday.
“The health department and district administration are monitoring the health status of each resident at the building. The government is providing all necessary grocery items to the ten families. Though they were in panic earlier, the situation is under control now,” said Jayanthi Premnath, Panayappilly ward councillor.
