In the backdrop of coronavirus cases being tested positive for Covid-19 in the state, high vigil is maintained in Kodagu district. With the ban imposed by the state government on malls, theatres, annual fairs, shandy market and sports meet, the district wore a deserted look.
The district administration has also banned entry to tourist spots. The entry to Raja Seat, Abbey Falls, Mandalpatti, Nisargadhama and Dubare has been banned for a week. The shopkeepers in these tourist spots have shut their business establishments.
The district administration has appealed to the people not to panic. However, fear has gripped the residents in the district. As holiday was already declared for schools, children stayed indoors. Teachers had visited the schools in the morning and returned home in the noon.
Normally, resorts and homestays are buzzing with activities during weekends. Without tourists, a majority of the homestays and resorts wore a deserted look. There was a bandh-like atmosphere in parts of the district on Saturday noon. The resort and homestay owners have incurred huge losses and are a worried lot.
Fish and meat markets too remained closed. Even the markets wore a deserted look. The usually crowded KSRTC and private buses were seen empty throughout the day in Virajpet, Somwarpet, Shanivarasanthe and Kodlipete.
A majority of the coffee estate owners are dependent on labourers from North Karnataka and Assam for work in the coffee estates.
With the fear of coronavirus, a majority of the labourers have started returning to their native villages.
The health department has been monitoring those who have returned from China, Iraq and Iran. A patient who had returned from Dubai and is admitted to isolation ward at district hospital is being treated for Covid-19 symptoms. The district administration is yet to receive the test report of the said patient.
In the backdrop of holiday for schools and colleges, students have returned to their native places.
Deputy Commissioner Annies Kanmani Joy said that the guidelines issued by the district administration should be adhered to by the citizens. Strict action will be initiated against those who violate the guidelines, she warned.
The government ordered for lock down to fight Covid-19. The public should follow the guidelines, she added. All the international passengers who visited Karnataka should be quarantined at home for 14 days, she said.
The deputy commissioner said that swimming pools and gyms should be closed.