Covid 19 symptom tracing teams are facing resistances in different parts of the State. The exercise started from Monday last – and on the first day, people of a hamlet at Mungiyakami under Khowai district had to retreat in the face of villagers’ resistance. Today, on the second day, the situation turned for worse and atleast in four to five locations on Tuesday, attempts were made to turn away the Covid 19 survey by the locals. In most of the cases, the locals succeded in preventing the survey teams in fear of being infected by the disease by the survey teams itself.
It was evident that the government did not take adequate awareness campaign to make the rural people aware of the reasons and ways of Covid 19 tests, sources alleged. However, the fear psychosis being felt among the locals was not wholly misplaced as one of the health professionals who had gone with a survey team’s testing facility at Ramnagar tested positive himself.
Eyewitnesses said, “the health professional after being bored of waiting for patients asked his colleagues to do his test through a rapid antigen kit. And, the report came positive. The health department workers nearly suffered a fit and were later shifted to Covid 19 facility centre”.
Apart from that, survey teams had faced serious resistance at Kailashahar Chandipur, Udaipur East Tulamura, Patichari and Teliamura Hrangkhawl para. Sources said, at all the spots, locals gathered and declared no-entry for any outsider, be it health professionals or anyone else as they might get infected by the virus from those who were coming–in a reminder to what had taken place at Telimura and Raisyabari on the day before.
At Santirbazar Patichari Gajipara, locals gathered at the entrance of the village and prevented the health officials. They reasoned that the health officials would select people on their whims and declare them positive. Similar protests took place at Kaialsahar Chandipur block. At three particular locations of the block, people came out in protest against any Covid 19 survey at the area. The locals feared that they would be sent to isolation without even being tested properly and if there were no Covid 19 cases in the region what made the authorities decide to conduct the survey there.
Similarly in Hrangkhwal para of Teliamura subdivision, people protested against the drive. The degree of resistance even crossed all the limits when people of East Tulamura Udaipur chased the survey teams away from their locality.
“Four people were tested yesterday on a random basis and all of the samples came negative. If this was true, what was the need of another survey, we were not even aware of the travel history of the people coming for the survey, as to what assurance we could even allow them enter our area putting hundreds of lives at stake”, a local said.
The residents of Marwa village in Nagrai under Ampi nagar RD Block also staged a similar protest and asked the authorities to ensure no survey at their area.
However, in all the cases police were called, administrative top-brass were pressed into action for an amicable settlement. In some areas, people were convinced whereas at some areas, the health team had to retreat. But, the similarity that stood out loud everywhere was that people were not sensitized properly about the survey and its significance in this situation.
An expert in community medicine who wished not to be named, said, “this is gradually taking a turn of mass hysteria. Unless and until proper reach out programmes are conducted to make the people living remote and rusting regions aware of the reality, nothing may change”.
