• Four doctors of a Private Hospital in Madikeri test COVID-19 positive; total 26 cases
• 12 areas in Madikeri, Virajpet and Somwarpet Taluks sealed down for 28 days

Madikeri: In view of the rising COVID-19 positive cases in Kodagu, all Hotels, Lodges and Home Stays will be closed for 21 days in the district from today. The decision has been taken by Kodagu Hotel Association President B.R. Nagendra Prasad and Kodagu Home Stay Association President B.G. Ananthashayana. Also, all barber shops will be closed in Madikeri Taluk for 6 days.

At a press conference at Deputy Commissioner’s Office in Madikeri this morning, DC Annies Kanmani Joy said that the Hotel and Home Stay Associations have voluntarily come forward to close their facilities till 21 days. The District Administration too is taking steps to close Resorts, Hotels, Lodges and Home Stays, she said.

The District Administration had been criticised for not closing down Resorts, Hotels and Home Stays despite rising COVID-19 positive cases. In all, till today morning, 26 positive cases have been reported in Kodagu and of them 23 cases are active. Interestingly, all the 23 persons were asymptomatic. All the 23 cases have been admitted to the designated COVID-19 Hospital in Madikeri.

Four doctors serving at Ashwini Hospital in Madikeri and three para-medical staff of the same Hospital have contracted the disease. The entire Hospital has been sanitised and there are eight in-patients. Now no service except emergency and OPD services are available in the Hospital.

The DC has clarified that no doctor or a paramedical staff in the COVID Hospital has been tested positive. The clarification comes in the wake of reports that some of the doctors of the COVID Hospital had contracted the disease.

Retired soldier tests positive

A retired soldier who had come from Assam to Mullur village near Somwarpet, two car mechanics who are the contacts of a fruit merchant from Shirangala who tested positive recently, a woman from Doddahalli village, her husband and his brother tested positive.

A 70-year-old woman from Bittangala village who was running a Home Stay at Bittangala contracted the disease. The District Administration suspects that she has got the disease from her Home Stay guests. Efforts are on to trace the contact history. The son of a medical shop owner in Kushalnagar Car Street tested positive and the Car Street has been sealed.

In all, 12 areas including five in Madikeri, six in Somwarpet and one area in Virajpet Taluk have been sealed and barricades have been placed. The areas will be sealed down and considered as  Containment Zones for 28 days. Vehicles and people have been barred from entering or exiting the areas.

No shortage of doctors

DC Annies Joy has stated that there is no dearth of doctors and paramedical staff in Kodagu. There are 250 beds in the COVID Hospital and if need be more beds will be ready in Virajpet and Somwarpet Taluks, she said. The DC added that the COVID sample testing laboratory was functioning 24X7 and per day, 380 samples were being tested. The results of many samples are yet to come, the DC added.

Meanwhile, the Kodagu District Chamber of Commerce has appealed to senior citizens in the District not to venture out of their homes and go to shops and business establishments. Also, all the shops and commercial establishments have been urged not to employ senior citizens and if they already have, they must be sent on leave till the pandemic is over.