A historic town, Lakkundi now gripped by panic after resident dies of Covid-19

Hubballi: Lakkundi is a small hamlet in the backwaters of Gadag district, but this small village houses a veritable treasure of Karnataka’s rich past, the spires of hundreds of temples dotting its short skyline. However, the village is now gripped by panic after a resident of the village died of Covid-19. Gadag district administration has now declared the historic village a containment zone.
On Wednesday, a 44-year-old man, a resident of Lakkundi, died of Covid-19 at the Karnataka Institute of Medical Sciences (KIMS) in Hubballi. Suffering from an infection of the urinary tract, he was admitted to a private hospital in Gadag on May 27. The man was also diabetic. Since his condition did not improve, he was shifted to KIMS on June 1. KIMS had sent his throat swabs for medical examination, but he passed away before the results arrived. The results confirmed that he had been infected with Covid-19.
That the patient was a Purohit who had presided over several wedding ceremonies in Lakkundi and several surrounding villages. Sources said that he had presided over many closed-door weddings held during the lockdown. This has understandably triggered panic among the residents.
The district administration, meanwhile, has its hands full trying to trace his contacts, since it has come to their notice that had performed weddings in containment areas in Gadag, in addition to travelling to Raichur during the lockdown.
Members of those families that conducted weddings in secret to avoid the wrath of government authorities are worried no end. The health department in Gadag, along with the cops, however, are keen on detecting the source of the man’s infection.
Gadag deputy commissioner MG Hiremath confirmed to TOI that the district administration was currently in the process of collecting all details about those, in the homes of whom, the deceased had conducted weddings. “We have already managed to trace 11 primary contacts, all of whom we have placed in quarantine. As many as 15 healthcare personnel including a doctor and nurses who treated him at a private hospital, too have been placed under quarantine. We have sent all their samples for testing,” Hiremath said.
The DC said that law enforcement authorities were busy tracing the places the 44-year-old man had visited in order to get to the source of the infection, which would allay the fear of community transmission.