As the state of Kerala has reported with six new cases of Coronavirus since Sunday, state health minister KK Shailaja took a tough stance against the family which concealed its travel history from Italy to the state health officials. The minister condemned the family and called it as irresponsible behavior. Her statement has come after the family of three members who returned from virus-hit Italy and two neighbors have been tested positive with the virus and they have currently been quarantined to contain the spread.

On Sunday, the minister had expressed her notion during which she said that hiding the details of the travel history from the health officials is the crime. She stated that the family who returned from Italy had behaved irresponsibly. By citing that the government's top priority is to provide treatments and save them, she avowed that its crime to conceal and to earth the facts that they had arrived from one of the worst virus-hit countries.

These three people - a 55-year-old man, a 53-year-old wife, and their 26-year-old son had arrived at Kochi airport from Venice in Italy via Qatari capital of Doha on February 29th and upon the arrival, the family had concealed the fact to the airport officials that they came from Italy. The minister said that the Kerala government has announced universal screening at all the airports on March 2nd. This family has arrived before the installation of universal screening and they didn't reach out to the local health officials despite multiple requests made by the health department.

On March 4th, the three family members had gone to a private hospital in Pathanamthitta after developing fever and they remained muted on their travel history even at the hospital. However, their neighbors had on March 6th gone to the local hospital with the symptoms during which they divulged the authorities about the Italy return family in their neighborhood. The health officials had taken all the five (three Italy return and two neighbors) and admitted at the isolation wards. Their samples were collected and on Sunday, their test results had shockingly revealed that all the five had turned out to be positive to the virus.

Minister Shailaja has highlighted that the family's irresponsibility has now escalated tensions on the epidemic as all the people who came direct contact with the family members carry the possibilities of the infection following which the Health department is ought to locate everyone they met between February 29th and March 6th. She stated that the health department has to work to combat and contain the spread because the family has concealed their travel history. If they could have been informed the officials earlier, the officials could have quarantined them and everyone in their neighborhood. Since they concealed the fact, the department is pushed to have more difficulty as the officials have to tour all the places they went to and locate all the people they met.

She appealed to the people to remember that many from the health department are fighting and combating to contain the spread of the global pandemic. She said that the officials from the health department haven't taken any leaves. By asserting that it's the duty of the government, she further cited that the family had committed a crime to society by concealing the fact that they arrived from Italy. She demanded the people who have returned from the virus-hit countries to inform the health officials in their area immediately. 

The six recent cases aren't new to the state as last month, the state had reported with three cases of Coronavirus making Kerala the first Indian state to get affected with the virus. The three students had arrived from Wuhan, China, which is the epicenter of the virus and they were kept in isolation wards following which they recovered and discharged from the hospitals. On Monday, adding to five new cases, a three-year-old child was tested positive with the virus. He arrived in Kochi from Italy along with his parents. He has become the first child in India to test positive with the virus and he has been quarantined in Ernakulam medical college hospital where he is receiving treatment.

Also read: Corona outbreak: Kerala reports with six new cases including a 3-year-old child!