Kerala, which has seen a surge in coronavirus cases related to people returning from Gulf countries, is fast realizing that it may have all started from what was once a camel market, thousands of miles away in the Arabian desert.

Nearly 70% of the 215 active patients in Kerala have links to Naif, a locality in Dubai that was once a camel market and is now a busy, commercial market, according to a state health department official who did not want to be named.

Many of these people, or their primary contacts, are in Kerala’s biggest hotspots, the northernmost districts of Kasargod and Kannur, the official said.

The two districts had 110 and 51 covid-19 patients, the bulk of Kerala’s total 237 active patients as of Wednesday night, the latest figures available. More than 18,000 people are under observation in these two districts.

People of Kerala, especially from the northern parts of the state, have been looking for work and migrating to Gulf countries for decades, an association that has reshaped the society in the state. Naif is particularly popular as there are a lot of well-paying jobs within its sprawling textile and jewellery shops.

However, this prosperity comes at a cost. Naif is densely populated and labour managers reportedly cramp dozens of people in a room, risking exposure in the event of an outbreak of disease.

It is a 50-year-old migration pattern that has led to corners of northern Kerala having everything from gold souks (the Arab name for gold markets) to Gulf Bazaars (markets known for cheap electronics purchased from places such as Naif) and Arabian grilled chicken in rural hotels.

The people who have come back from Naif reached the state in the early weeks of March, when India had not placed travel barriers to the Arab world. These people travelled across the region spreading the infection, chief minister Pinarayi Vijayan told reporters. The first reported patient from northern Kerala reached the state on 11 March but was tested positive and quarantined only on 19 March, he said.

Kerala announced a special action plan for Kasargod after it emerged as the most dangerous hotspot with 99 patients so far.

“Currently, Kasargod district has the maximum number of positive cases and also the highest number of people under hospital observation. Data from the panchayats in the district will be used to test people with symptoms and also to identify people in contact with them," Vijayan said.

“A covid centre has started functioning at the Kasargod Medical College Hospital. The Central University of Kerala, in Kasaragod district, has got permission from the Indian Council of Medical Research to test samples. There is no shortage of masks or other protective gear in the hospitals there," he said. On Wednesday, he said that the Kasargod Medical College Hospital would function as a covid-19 care centre in four days’ time.

PTI contributed to this story.

Subscribe to Mint Newsletters * Enter a valid email * Thank you for subscribing to our newsletter.

Share Via