Pathanamthitta: All educational institutions including professional colleges in Pathanamthitta district in Kerala will remain closed for the next three days in the event of COVID-19 outbreak here.
Anganwadis, schools, colleges, poly-technic colleges will remain closed from Monday to Wednesday, District Collector informed on Sunday.
The SSLC and Plus-Two examinations scheduled for Tuesday will not been postponed.
Students experiencing COVID-19 symptoms after interaction with the patients will however, not be permitted to write the exams. These students can later attempt the SAY examination.
Students who have not yet shown symptoms despite interaction with patients will be permitted to write the exam separately in the same exam centre.
Masks and sanitizers will be made available in schools. While the PTA is responsible for providing these at the government schools, private school authorities will be responsible for providing these in their respective schools.
Meanwhile, Kottayam district collector PK Sudheer Babu has also informed that all educational institutions will remain closed in the district on Monday. Examinatiions will be conducted as decided earlier.
Three of a family who had returned from Italy on February 29 were tested positive for COVID-19 on Saturday. Two of their relatives were also tested positive for the virus. All the five hail from Ranni in Pathanamthitta. A 3-year-old who returned to Kerala from Italy on Saturday was also tested positive of COVID-19 on Monday.
The infection of the Ranni family was confirmed on Saturday night.
Health department officials said that the three Italy-returnees had evaded screening at the airport.
Health Minister K K Shailaja said two nonagenarian members of the family will be shifted to the Kottayam Medical College hospital.
COVID-19 patient visited SP office
The detection of five new coronavirus cases in Kerala has left the health department with a huge task of tracing their travel history and points of contact in the past few days.
It has come to light that the three persons who came from Italy had visited the office of Superintendent of Police for renewing the son's permit. A special branch officer had visited their home in Ranni for police verification. The officer has also been placed under observation.
The relative and family under observation received the family from the Cochin International Airport on their arrival from Italy and took them to Ranni.
The health department is also observing another relative's place in Punalur visited by the family.
The COVID-19 patients took the Venice-Doha Qatar airlines QR 126 flight on February 29. They spent more than 90 minutes at the Doha airport before taking the Qatar Airlines' connection flight QR514 to Kochi on March 1.
The government is still tracing the driver of the car, who took them to their home, on the basis of the CCTV visuals.
Pathanamthitta on high alert
Pathanamthitta has been put on high alert after the confirmed CoVID-19 cases five cases on Sunday.
The district collector has banned all public gatherings in the district until further notice. Collector PB Nooh also held discussions with religious leaders and requested them to defer public meetings.
Control Room number for Pathanamthitta: 0468 2228220
