Kasargod, April 30: Panic gripped in Kerala’s Kasargod after a journalist tested positive for coronavirus in this district on Wednesday. After reports surfaced about the journalist being diagnosed with COVID-19, senior officials of Kasaragod, including District Collector D Sajith Babu, IG Vijay Sakhare and IG Ashok Yadav have gone into self-quarantine. Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan gave this information to the media. Salaries of Kerala HC Judges Cannot Be Varied, Deferred by State Govt: Registrar General.

Reportedly, Babu had given an interview to the journalists a few days ago. The health authorities have also advised DM's driver and gunman to go into self-quarantine. "I had given an interview to the journalist on April 19. He has tested positive for coronavirus. Along with me, my driver and gunman have been advised to go into self-quarantine," Babu told news agency PTI. Catch Live Updates of Coronavirus Here:

ANI's Tweet:

Cameraman and other staff members of the media organisation have also asked to go into self-quarantine. Apart from the journalist, 10 health workers were tested positive for COVID-19 on Wednesday. A few days back, Kasargod had 60 percent of coronavirus cases of the state. Meanwhile, the number of active cases has been reduced to only 13 in this district now.

The number of coronavirus cases in Kerala increased to 496. Out of the total positive cases, 369 have recovered so far, while four people have lost their lives, including a baby due to COVID-19. Currently, there are 123 active cases in the state. Notably, Kerala has the highest recovery rate of over 71 percent. Meanwhile, the average recovery rate of coronavirus patients in India is around 25 percent.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Apr 30, 2020 06:27 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).