Kochi/Kozhikode (Kerala) : The Kerala High Court on Friday asked the state government to issue guidelines, if required, for the pilgrimage to Sabarimala when it opens for the monthly puja in view of the Nipah outbreak in Kozhikode district. The court asked the Travancore Devaswom Board commissioner to hold discussions with the health secretary and take a decision on the matter.
The hilltop shrine in Pathanamthitta district opens for five days every Malayalam month. This month, it will open for pilgrims on Sunday. The state government, meanwhile, informed the court that restrictions have been imposed in the northern Kozhikode district. A fresh case of Nipah virus was confirmed in Kozhikode on Friday, taking the total number of people infected to six. The state has so far reported two fatalities.
Meanwhile, in the wake of the Nipah virus infection, all educational institutes in Kerala's Kozhikode will remain shut for a week until next Sunday, September 24. This includes schools, professional colleges, and tuition centres. Online classes will be ensured throughout the week, the district administration said.
Health minister Veena George has said that at present, the contact list of infected persons has 1,080 people while 130 people have been newly included today in the list. Out of all this 327 people in the list are health workers. A total of 29 people in other districts are in the contact list of Nipah-infected people. Among them, 22 are from Malappuram, one from Wayanad and three each from Kannur and Thrissur, said Veena George.
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In the high-risk category, 175 are common people and 122 are healthcare workers. The Health Minister further informed that the number of people in the contact list is likely to increase as the test result of the person who died on August 30 has come out positive making it the index case of Nipah in the district. As of now, six positive cases of Nipah Virus have been reported in the state.
As many as 17 persons who had attended the cremation of the man who died on August 30 were put under isolation. While four of the active cases are undergoing treatment in hospitals. All hospitals treating Nipah cases should form a medical board to meet twice a day and should hand over the report to the health department. The district collector has issued orders regarding this on the basis of the infectious disease control protocols of the state. (with agency inputs)
