Actor Prithviraj Sukumaran, who recently returned to Kerala from Jordan, has tested negative for the coronavirus. He wrote on Facebook about taking the test.
"Did a COVID-19 test and the results are negative. Will still be completing quarantine before returning home. Stay safe and take care all," Prithviraj wrote. He also posted a photo of the result.
The actor was in Jordan for the shooting of the film Aadujeevitham at a time when the COVID-19 pandemic was spreading in several countries, following which there was a global lockdown and all modes of transport between countries were temporarily suspended.
The cast and crew of the film were finally able to travel to Kochi when lockdown relaxations were introduced in May. They landed in Kochi on the morning of May 22, and according to reports, there were 58 people in the crew, including director Blessy and actor Prithviraj.
All the cast and crew members went into quarantine. Seven days later, Prithviraj posted that his seven days of institutional quarantine had ended and that he was going home to complete the remaining days of the mandatory 14-day quarantine for people coming from elsewhere to the state. The actor also cautioned people going to quarantine to strictly abide by the regulations even at home. “To all those who are going to or are already in home quarantine, remember… going home doesn’t mean the end of your quarantine period. Do abide strictly by all the quarantine regulations and make sure no person belonging to the high risk population group as stipulated by the authorities is at home,” he wrote.
Aadujeevitham, based on the book by Benyamin of the same name, is about the plight of a Gulf Malayali who has to lead a slave-like existence in the lonely deserts before he is able to escape. Benyamin has based this story on a real life nonresident Malayali, Najeeb.