Covid-19 scare in Thiruvananthapuram as hypermarket staff, doctors test positive

While Kerala's Covid-19 tally crossed the 10,000-mark on Thursday, the capital city of Thiruvananthapuram is on a high alert as a major chunk of the 1,279 cases reported in the district have been due to local spread.

Of the 722 fresh Covid-19 cases reported in the state on Thursday, 481 got infected through local contacts, of which 34 cases couldn't be traced back to their source. Two persons who returned from other states died due to Covid-19, taking the death toll in Kerala to 37.

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In Thiruvananthapuram, 339 fresh cases were reported, of which 301 were through local sources, 16 of which couldn't be traced back to their source. The district also has the highest number of cases in Kerala at 1,279. With around 80 staff of a hypermarket in the city testing positive so far, there was a high risk that many customers have already been infected.

Four doctors of the Thiruvananthapuram Medical College Hospital also tested Covid-19 positive following which many from the medical staff were quarantined.

Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan said that a total of 84 Covid-19 clusters, including ten large clusters, were already found in Kerala. He also said in view of the escalating number of infections through local spread, the people should take utmost care, especially by maintaining social distancing.

The total Covid-19 cases in Kerala reached 10,275, of which 5372 were now under treatment.