Kerala withdraws 'state disaster' status to n-coronavirus

Kerala Health Minister KK Shailaja on Friday said that the state government has decided to withdraw 'state disaster' status given to n-coronavirus.

However, she said that the alert will continue and health guidelines have to be followed.

"The state disaster status was declared after 72 returnees were in Kerala from Wuhan in China of which three tested positive. About 67 have tested negative. The test results show that the close contacts of all those three confirmed cases are negative," she told reporters here.

The Health Minister further said that in a big relief, in the second case of n-coronavirus admitted at Alappuzha Medical College, the repeat test result is negative. "But this has to be confirmed from NIV, Pune," she added.

Shailaja said that a total of 3,014 suspected coronavirus cases are being monitored in various districts of the state.

"Of these, 2,953 are under home quarantine and 61 in hospitals with symptoms. A total of 263 samples of suspected cases have been sent to National Institute Virology for examination. Of the 261 samples tested, all the results were negative," she said.