Kerala: 14-day home quarantine a must for Wuhan returnees

KOCHI: Malayali students from Wuhan who tested negative for novel coronavirus (COVID-19) after spending 14 days in isolation wards in Delhi and Manesar, will need to compulsorily undergo another 14 days of home quarantine on their return to Kerala. They are set to be discharged in a phased manner from Monday.
“Though they have tested negative, as a matter of extra caution, we have decided that these students will need to be quarantined for 28 days.Since they have completed 14 days in isolation ward, they will be home quarantined for the remaining days here,” said Dr Amar Fettle, state nodal officer (public emergency), currently in charge of anti-coronavirus effort.
Of the 654 evacuees who were brought back from Wuhan on February 1 and 2 in two Air India Boeing 747 aircrafts after the outbreak of the virus in China, around 110 are Malayalis. They were housed at two facilities; 406 at an Indo-Tibetan Border Police facility at Chhawla, Delhi and the remaining at an army centre in Manesar, Haryana. Majority of students are from Kollam district (30).
The state health department has asked the student’s relatives not to rush to the airport to receive them. Instead, only one person has been asked to pick up the student from the airport in a non-ac vehicle. “They have been asked to keep the window down and should not stop anywhere on the way home for shopping or eating,” said a health official.
Each district team working on COVID-19 has been provided with details of those who are reaching here. The district team has contacted family members and asked them to take necessary measures to prepare for home quarantine.