Kerala yesterday sounded an alert after five new positive cases of coronavirus were reported in the state, taking the total number of affected people in the country to 39.
Police warned that those who come from countries where Covid-19 is raging and fail to report to the health authorities will be prosecuted.
Health Minister K K Shailaja yesterday said the state had five new positive cases in Pathanamthitta district, and that they have been isolated in a hospital there.
All the new cases were members of a family.
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Qatar Airways 'working closely with Indian health authorities'

In a statement to Gulf Times, Qatar Airways said: “In relation to reports that passengers with suspected coronavirus were on Qatar Airways flight QR514 Doha to Kochi on February 29, we can confirm that Qatar Airways is working closely with the Indian health authorities. The safety, security and good health of our passengers and employees is our highest priority and Qatar Airways is working with global and local health authorities to help stop the spread of coronavirus. If you have any concerns about your own health following your travel schedule, we recommend you speak with your local medical facility or authorities for further guidance.”
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Shailaja said the family consisting of a 54-year-old man, his 53-year-old wife and their 24-year-old son, had come from Italy on February 29 but behaved irresponsibly by not reporting to the authorities.
"At the moment, we are more concerned at giving full medical care to the three and two of their relatives," the minister said.
She said the two other confirmed cases were of their relatives - another couple.
"They are a 65-year-old man and his 61-year-old wife. We have also decided to quarantine the parents of the couple who returned from Italy and are planning to take them to the Kottayam Medical College hospital," Shailaja added.
She said a group of health professionals are now identifying all those who travelled on a Qatar Airways flight from Doha to Kochi on February 29 with the three.
"The family did not report about their visit to Italy at the airport counter. After reaching their home in Pathanamthitta, they never contacted the health authorities. Instead, they visited their relatives' home nearby. It was after two of their relatives developed fever and approached the district hospital that the infection was suspected. Officials then contacted the family which returned from Italy. By then they also had developed fever. Following tests, all five people tested be positive,” Shailaja said.
"This particular family arrived on a Qatar Airways flight from Venice to Doha and from there, reached Kochi on February 29 and took a car to their home in Pathanamthitta. So, all those who have travelled on that flight should get in touch with the health authorities," Shailaja said, adding every possible precaution has been taken and there need not be any cause for worry.
The minister also cautioned people about any laxity. "People at large should adhere to protocols that have been put out and all those people, who are arriving from the affected countries, should report to our health authorities; if not, they are not being responsible," she said.
Meanwhile, the district authorities in Pathanamthitta have formed eight teams consisting of two doctors and five other medical professionals who will meet and check all those people who have had some sort of contact with the five who tested positive.
According to sources, the three were residing in Italy and were coming home after three years.
It was only after being told that they would not be given health certificates to return to Italy that they agreed to undergo a medical checkup, as by then the two of their relatives with whom they had interacted, turned positive.
Local legislator Raju Abraham said he has gone around the locality and urged all those who have had some contact with the three to remain calm and cool.
"I personally went and told them as a matter of caution all of them should co-operate with the health authorities and should remain indoors. From rough estimates, the three after reaching here would have interacted with around 300 people, as they came on vacation," said Abraham and added that the elderly parents of the man from Italy have now been shifted to the Kottayam Medical College. "Both of them are above 90 years... we are waiting for their results.”
Authorities at the Cochin airport, where the three from Italy arrived, held an urgent meeting and decided to identify all the 198 passengers on the flight that came from Doha and the airport personnel who had direct contact with the three.
The meeting also decided that flights arriving from Malaysia, Thailand and Singapore will be given a dedicated parking bay and aerobridge.
Passengers arriving from these countries will have separate immigration and health counters, hand baggage screening X-ray, registered baggage belts and will be segregated from the other international arriving passengers.
After the last passenger disembarks, the aircraft will go a disinfection process.
It was on January 30 that a medical student from Thrissur studying in China's Wuhan province - the epicentre of the outbreak - became the first coronavirus positive patient in the country and soon two of her classmates also turned positive.
All three have now recovered.