india

Updated: Mar 08, 2020 14:19 IST

With five more people testing positive for coronavirus, Kerala is keeping its fingers crossed as more than three million women are set to converge in Thiruvananthapuram on Monday for Attukal Pongala - a 10-day festival celebrated at the Attukal Temple in the heart of the city.

The women prepare a gruel made of rice, jaggery, coconut and ghee and offer it to the goddess of the temple. The festival is considered the world’s largest congregation of women.

Kerala’s health minister K K Shailaja has on Sunday appealed that those who have fever or cold should not participate in Attukal Pongala.

“Irresponsible behavior will be dealt with sternly,” she said at a press conference while announcing the five new coronavirus cases.

Shailaja also visited the temple to review the situation

Given Kerala’s high population density, the government is worried that any laxity could prove costly.

Thiruvananthapuram district collector K Gopalakrishnan urged devotees from abroad to perform Pongala in their hotels instead. “It will help contain infection if any,” he said.

The government has also convened an emergency meeting at the Cochin international airport in the evening following revelation that the aircraft in which three of the five people infected with coronavirus travelled from Doha, had 350 passengers on board.

Airport authorities have handed over to health officials the list of passengers who traveled in the Qatar Airways flight on February 29.

“It is war against the virus,” said a senior official of Cochin international airport.

The three persons had been screened at the airport as part of the protocol the Centre had announced to combat coronavirus but the infection was not detected.

All public functions will be cancelled in Pathnamthitta district in view of the coronvirus threat. District collector P B Nooh has requested people to cooperate with the government to stop the infection from spreading.