Krishnagiri records first COVID-19 case since outbreak

Krishnagiri, the only Green district in Tamil Nadu that borders Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh, on Saturday recorded its first COVID-19 case ever since the coronavirus outbreak began in March. With this, all 37 districts in Tamil Nadu are now affected by Coronavirus which has so far claimed 28 lives in the state.

The only district which was coded Green earlier as it did not report any positive cases, Krishnagiri now enters the orange zone. As of Friday, the state had 12 districts, including Chennai and its neighbouring districts of Chengalpattu, Kanchipuram and Tiruvallur, in Red zone, 24 in Orange and 1 (Krishnagiri) in Green zone.

A 67-year-old man, who returned from Andhra Pradesh a few days back, tested positive for COVID-19 on Saturday and has been shifted to Government Medical College Hospital in Salem, 115 kms from Krishnagiri. The patient and three others were quarantined on April 25 on their arrival from Puttaparthi in neighbouring Andhra Pradesh following their screening at the inter-state check-post.

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“Of the four people whose swab samples were collected, one tested positive and the remaining three negative. These people are native of Krishnagiri but came from Andhra Pradesh on April 25 with required pass to travel (from the neighbouring state),” Krishnagiri District Collector S Prabhakar told DH.

The man, who tested positive, belongs to Nallur village near Veppannahalli town in the district. “Swab samples of the family members of the positive patient have been collected and sent for testing. There is nothing to worry,” Prabhakar added.

He said the district administration had tightened security, especially at the borders, since March 21 when the Tamil Nadu government imposed a ban on inter-state travel, which was one of the reasons for the district remaining Corona free. Hosur, the industrial town in Krishnagiri district, borders Karnataka's capital Bengaluru.

Tamil Nadu’s COVID-19 tally is 2,526 with Chennai alone accounting to over 1,000 cases. As of Friday, the number of active cases was 1,183.