Wearing a pale blue lungi and carrying a yellow bag in one hand, Suhail marched down the corridor of the hospital as rows of men standing on either side, all wearing face masks, applauded his exit at Kasaragod General Hospital on Saturday morning.
A native of Udma in Kasaragod, Suhail was given a joyous farewell after he was discharged from the hospital. He was admitted 12 days ago following his return to Kerala from the Naif region in Dubai, one of the city’s most densely populated regions and a busy commercial hub.
TNM previously reported that many of the coronavirus cases reported out of Kasaragod district had returned from Naif. Many from the Kerala district work and conduct business in this part of Dubai. Officials ordered that all who came from there after February 20 were asked to report to the nearest Public Health Centre.
In the short video, over two-dozen COVID-19 patients, standing on either side of the corridor as Suhail gestures to them all and says, “thanks for everything” to the hospital staff, who guide him to the elevator to be used for his exit. Among those in line include a man in an Arsenal jersey and a small boy who stands with his hands on his hips and looks somewhat uninterested in the fanfare.
Three people have been discharged from the hospital and Suhail is the third person to be discharged.
The district had previously reported that 108 cases had been confirmed, and 99 COVID-19 patients were under treatment. Twelve from Kasaragod were being treated in Kannur district and one in Kozhikode district.
India has over 3,000 coronavirus cases, with 85 deaths and 246 recovered.