Kerala open for tourism despite Nipah scare

Kochi - About 311 people are under observation after they showed early symptoms of the Nipah virus.

Kerala remains open to travellers and its expats who love to return for summer holidays and festivals.
Tourists are welcome. That's the message the District Collector of Ernakulam and Kerala Tourism department want to put out after the Nipah scare that has seen one case being confirmed and 311 other people being put under observation after they showed early symptoms of the virus.
There is a lot of propaganda being put out which is untrue, said officials who got in touch with this newspaper. Kerala is open for business and open for tourism, they said.
Eid celebrations, however were muted as authorities tried to play down public concerns about the spread of the virus.
Meanwhile, a 24-hour control room has been set up at the Ernakulam  Collectorate. A team of doctors and specialists are working round the clock, said the Collector K. Mohammed Y. Safirullah. There is no restriction on public movement, he told this paper. "Ernakulam district has enough medicines and materials for Nipah treatment," he said.
The collectorate is also busy with an awareness campaign for health workers, officials and members of the public on ways to contain the spread of the virus that can become life-threatening if not detected early.
Fruit and vegetable shipments to the Gulf and other countries from Kerala have not been affected. Both the UAE and the Kerala government have not put out any advisory in this regard.
Kerala's economy, that relies heavily on tourism and foreign remittances, was hit by a double whammy of Nipah and unprecendented floods last year.
According to statistics, foreign tourist arrivals to Kerala dipped 4.14 per cent during  January-March this year as compared to the same months last year.
Foreign tourist arrivals were 422,469; last year it was 444,000.
This year's Nipah scare in the state comes ahead of the summer holidays in the Gulf when expatriates from Kerala make their annual visits to their home state.
It this context, tourism officials are understandably concerned about a further fall in numbers that could adversely impact the state's economy.
It is clear that Kerala's God's Own Country label has taken a hit.
To its credit, the state's health system is one the best developed in the country and the state government led by Communist Party of India (Marxist) has reacted well to control the outbreak.
The fact that it didn't see another Nipah crisis coming before the monsoons is a story for another day.
Authorities are therefore doing all they can to contain the damage.
Control rooms and isolation wards have been set up in Idukki, Kottayam, Kollam, Trissur districts to spot any case of Nipah.
- allan@khaleejtimes.com
 

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