The Thiruvananthapuram district administration has ordered extreme vigil in Varkala after an Italian tourist was confirmed to have COVID-19. The resort where the foreigner stayed has been closed. Nine staff of the resort have been shifted to the hospital and kept under isolation.
Hotel and resort owners in Thiruvananthapuram district have been instructed by the district administration to not let tourists leave. Strict action will be taken against the resort owners if the instructions are not followed.
Speaking to the media on Saturday, Thiruvananthapuram District Collector Gopalakrishnan said that people in Varkala should be extremely careful and that they should not go out of the house unnecessarily.
"The Italian national reached Kerala on February 27. He was isolated in the hospital 15 days later. Within that time, he had gone to many places - beach, to have food and to shops. He travelled within Varkala on these days. We have to be cautious. People in Varkala need to be extra vigilant and they shouldn't go out of the house unnecessarily. Social distancing should be clearly maintained by the people of Thiruvananthapuram and Varkala. We can face this situation together," he said.
The Minister for Cooperation and Tourism Kadakampally Surendran told the media that there was no reason for people in Varkala to panic but that they have to careful.
"This Italian national is a regular visitor at Varkala. He was picked up by the resort vehicle from the airport. Anyway, we could identify him and we sent him to isolation," he said.
Since the person was a regular visitor, he reportedly has close acquaintances in Varkala. The route map of the Italian national's travel has not yet been published by the district administration while the route maps of all other confirmed cases are out.
On 27 February at 4.00 am, the Italian national reached Delhi from Venice. On the same day, he reached Thiruvananthapuram by the flight Air Vistara UK 897.
The Collector said that he was identified to have symptoms on March 10, and that he was taken to the hospital by a local shop owner. After the results turned out to be positive, he was take to the Thiruvananthapuram Medical College Hospital and is under isolation.
The Collector said that there are reports of him attending a temple festival in Varkala but that this has to be confirmed. Since he spent 15 days, it will be a tough job for the administration to track his movements completely. It is also said that he visited another district in this period.
Meanwhile, the streets, the famous cliff and Papanasam beach of Varkala are almost empty after the news broke.