Palakkad COVID-19 patient's son a bus conductor, passengers urged to report
The district administration of Palakkad has gone into a tizzy as the son of a COVID-19 patient works as conductor in a Kerala RTC bus. His father, a 51-year-old man, arrived in Kerala on March 13 from Dubai after finishing his Umrah. Though the Kerala government had asked all those who returned from the Gulf to be strictly in home quarantine, the man did not go into isolation, instead visited mosques, an orphanage, and even entertained guests before going into home quarantine.
His son, a young man, in his late twenties, had plied two bus routes: one from Mannarkkad to Coimbatore via Anaikatti on March 17, and the second from Mannarkkad to Thiruvananthapuram and back, on March 18 and 19, before his father tested positive.
Passengers who traveled in the 7 am Kerala RTC bus which started from Mannarkkad and travelled to Thiruvananthapuram on March 18 and returned on March 19 have now been urged to report to the district health authorities. They can report to the following numbers: +91-95392-54036, +91-97477-06576, +91-86063-11777.
The bus in which the conductor had worked stopped at Palakkad and Thrissur before reaching Thiruvananthapuram via Kayamkulam at 6 pm on March 18. The young man checked into Vikas Bhavan to rest before his return journey. The bus left Thiruvananthapuram at midnight, and travelled via Vytilla, Ernakulam, Thrissur, and Palakkad and reached Mannarkkad at 10:15 am on March 19.
The driver of this bus has also been placed under observation. Meanwhile, the district police have filed a case against the father for violating quarantine.
Kerala has so far reported a total of 118 cases of COVID-19, with 112 patients still under care, while 6 have been reported as recovered.