Daijiworld Media Network - Mangaluru

Mangaluru, Mar 22: The first confirmed coronavirus case has been reported in Mangaluru.

Addressing a press meet here on Sunday March 22, deputy commissioner Sindhu Rupesh said, "The first coronavirus positive case has been confirmed in Dakshina Kannada. The patient is a native of Bhatkal, and is aged 22 years.

"He came from Dubai by SpiceJet flight at 5.30 pm on March 19. When he was screened at Mangaluru International Aiport, he was found to be symptomatic, and was immediately rushed to the isolation ward of Wenlock hospital. We collected his swab the same day and it reached the lab on March 20.

"We received the report today and it has turned out positive," she added.

"The contacts in this case are the passengers in the SpiceJet flight. As many as 165 passengers were on the flight with him, and we are contacting them," she said.

A total of 2,139 people from the district who passed through Mangaluru airport are currently in home quarantine. Ten have completed 28 days of home quarantine period, and 27 are currently quarantined in ESI hospital. Five coronavirus suspects are under observation.

Six new coronavirus positive cases were confirmed in Karnataka on Sunday, raising the total to 26.

The state government has postponed all exams as well as elections until further orders.

The government has also decided to thermal screen domestic passengers as well at the airports where only international passengers were being screened till now.