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Returning migrants from other states, countries send Covid-19 cases surging in Dakshina Kannada, Udupi

Mangaluru/Udupi: The rise in fresh coronavirus cases in coastal districts continued to see a substantial hike with new cases reported from Dakshina Kannada and Udupi districts. Inter-state returnees primarily from Maharashtra and expats from Dubai on Thursday accounted for the biggest spike in a single day since the first positive case was confirmed in the state in March.



With 32 cases including 26 in Udupi, day’s spike surpassed the last surge seen on May 15 when 21 Dubai returnees from the two districts tested positive.

G Jagadeesha, Udupi deputy commissioner said while 28 people hailing from the district tested positive, two of them who were in institutional quarantine at Sirsi have been shifted to Karwar Institute of Medical Sciences, leaving the district with 26 new positive cases for the day. Out of these, 23 are those who came from Maharashtra, three from Telangana, one from UAE and the last one a patient from Kerala undergoing treatment at KMC, Manipal.

The disconcerting fact, Jagadeesha said was that 16 of those who tested positive were children. The others included seven men and five women, he said. “Since children are considered to be in high risk category, they were specifically tested during their stay in quarantine and have tested positive,” he said. As on date, Udupi has 47 active cases and reported one death, that of a patient who succumbed to heart attack and was confirmed positive, post death.

Six positive cases in DK were among 110 passengers placed in institutional quarantine by the district administration here and had arrived from Dubai on May 18. Five of the six are residents of the district and one is from Kalaburagi. Active cases in DK went up to 35 with 21 discharges and five deaths so far. The day also saw one patient, a 45-year-old man from Kulashekar (P-506) discharged.

Referring to the 64 passengers who arrived at Mangaluru International Airport from Muscat on May 20, DC said 40 of them are in paid quarantine facilities identified by the administration. Out of these, 15 opted for free quarantine and have been accommodated at the government hostel facility of their choice, she said. Out of the remaining 24 passengers, 21 were escorted to Udupi and rest to Karwar in Uttara Kannada district, district administration Sindhu Rupesh said.

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