Nipah infection: restrictions on public events to continue in Kozhikode till October 1

Kozhikode district to maintain restrictions on public events till Oct 1; educational institutions, except those in containment zones, resume offline classes; 42 animal body fluid samples test negative for Nipah virus; Health Minister Veena George to review situation on Sept 26; those in medical isolation must complete 21-day period.

Restrictions on public events, imposed in the wake of the recent Nipah outbreak, will continue in Kozhikode district till October 1.

District Collector A. Geetha said in a release on Monday that the time was not ripe to withdraw the alert issued in the wake of the infection two weeks ago. She added that the district-level expert committee had recommended so. In this context, all public events, except those termed urgent, should be postponed. Everyone should wear face masks, use hand sanitisers, and maintain social distancing norms, she added.

Educational institutions, other than those in containment zones, resumed offline classes on Monday.

A total of 42 body fluid samples of animals collected from areas with Nipah-infected persons have tested negative for the virus. The samples were sent to the National Institute of High Security Animal Diseases, Bhopal, on September 21, said an official of the Department of Animal Husbandry.

Meanwhile, Health Minister Veena George said after a review meeting that the expert committee would again meet on September 26 to give its recommendations on possible lifting of restrictions. Those who are in medical isolation after being found to have been on the contact list of infected persons would have to mandatorily complete the 21-day isolation period. One more sample tested negative for the virus on Monday. So far, 378 samples have been tested.