Coronavirus cases increase to 7 in Kolkata: parents & domestic help of London-returned man test positive

The number of Novel Coronavirus (COVID-19) cases increased to seven in West Bengal — all of them in Kolkata, as three more persons tested positive on Sunday afternoon.

The parents and domestic help of a 22-year-old man from Kolkata’s Ballygunge — who had returned from London and tested positive two days ago — have also tested positive now. The young man from London had been asked to remain on home quarantine, but it is now clear that he and his family members did not follow the restrictions, else three persons who had come in contact with him would not have tested positive. Eleven persons of the family, including their domestic help, had been taken from their Ballygunge home to the Beliaghata Infectious Diseases Hospital two days ago, after the 22-year-old had tested positive. Three of them have now tested positive.

Other members of the joint family — his brother, elderly grandparents, uncle, aunt and three cousins are also under strict observation of doctors.

The first three cases of COVID-19 have all been directly brought in from the UK — two have come from London, and another from Edinburgh. A fourth person — admitted to AMRI Hospital in Salt Lake — have tested positive but had himself not travelled abroad. His son had returned from Italy, but this was not disclosed by the family to the hospital authorities when he was admitted to the hospital, it is learnt.