COIMBATORE: Five out of 180 passengers, who arrived at the Coimbatore International Airport in the first repatriation flight under Vande Bharat mission from Dubai, tested positive for COVID-19 on Wednesday.
According to the health department sources, one person each from Coimbatore, Erode, Trichy Thiruvarur and Tuticorin tested positive while the remaining passengers tested negative.
"As part of the COVID-19 treatment, the passengers who have been tested positive, will be admitted in the concerned district government hospitals," said sources in health department.
According to airport sources, out of 180 passengers, 160 are adult, 17 are children and three are infants, who travelled in the repatriation flight. However, several passengers refused to stay in paid quarantine, had tussle with the health and revenue officials and left along with their relatives. Most of them had left to their native without adhering the health official's word, sources added.
Though the health officials say that only 20 pregnant mothers had left, many of them gone to their native. According to G Ramesh Kumar, Deputy Director of Health Services, out of the 180 passengers who reached Coimbatore from Dubai on Wednesday morning, 20 were pregnant women. They will be monitored from their home.
"Though the test was carried out for all passengers in Dubai, we have been testing here based on the central government's SOP. All the passengers co-operated well for taking samples. However, some of them hesitated to stay in paid quarantine citing financial constraints. But, we have pacified them and later they realised the need and staying in paid quarantine," he added.
