Andhra fishermen create ruckus over isolation norm

PARADIP: With Centre lifting restrictions on inter-State movement of people, fishermen of Andhra Pradesh have started arriving at Sandhakuda slum in Paradip, leaving the locals worried as they apprehend transmission of coronavirus. Over 70 fishermen have reached Sandhakuda since June 1.Despite Covid-19 guidelines mandating 14-day quarantine period for people arriving from other states, the fishermen from Andhra have neither reported before the district administration nor registered their names at the temporary medical centre(TMC). As a result, none of them have undergone medical screening so far. 

Receiving information, when local ASHA worker Sabitri Swain visited some of the fishermen on Tuesday and asked them to shift to the local TMC, the latter misbehaved with her. The incident led to a heated exchange between the local slum dwellers and the fishermen. Police was called in to bring the situation under control.Locals alleged that instead of quarantining themselves, the fishermen are moving around public places exposing others to coronavirus risk. 

Councillor of Paradip Municipality, Jagannath Rao informed that 75 fishermen from East Godavari and other districts of Andhra Pradesh arrived in Sandhakuda on June 1 after lifting of ban on inter-state movement of people. Of them, 40 have been taken into an institutional quarantine centre after the Tuesday’s while the rest have gone into hiding.Executive Officer of the Municipality Dilip Kumar Mohanty said the fishermen will have to undergo mandatory 14-day quarantine and efforts are on the trace out the rest. Their swab samples would be sent for test soon, he said.