Andhra Pradesh Industrial Infrastructure Corporation (APIIC) chairperson and Nagari MLA R.K. Roja on Friday expressed serious concern regarding the steady rise in the number of COVID-19 positive cases in Nagari Assembly constituency, which has a porous border with neighboring Tamil Nadu.
As the number of cases inched close to 200, Ms. Roja held a meeting with officials of Health, Revenue and Police departments at Puttur.
Officials told Ms. Roja that while the virus initially started with a couple of cases who had returned from Delhi, the numbers began to shoot up from May due to a large number of people visiting the Koyambedu market in Tamil Nadu, apart from several persons who returned from Mumbai.
A single woman, who had come to Puttur a few weeks ago from a neighboring village in Tamil Nadu, had become the primary contact for over two dozen cases in Puttur, Nagari and Nindra mandals. Similarly, residents of Gate Puttur locality in Puttur municipality were found to be frequently travelling to Chennai in spite of the ongoing lockdown and restrictions on the inter-State border by taking advantage of the porous borders in rural areas.
COVID-19 special officer (Nagari) Dr. P. Ravi Raju informed Ms. Roja that only a single ambulance was being used to shift the suspected cases to quarantine, posing a serious risk for the spread of virus. He requested the APIIC chairperson to arrange N-95 masks, sanitisers and other paraphernalia for medical and paramedical staff on COVID-19 duties at both the area hospitals at Nagari and Puttur, and also at the Primary Health Centers in Nagari constituency.
Medical Superintendent (Puttur Government Hospital) Dr. Prabhavati complained to Ms. Roja that whenever a casualty would occur at the area hospital or at the PHCs, villagers were rushing in without adhering to COVID-19 guidelines. Without masks, the angry mobs would enter the wards and verbally abuse medical and paramedical staff. She deplored that recently, a mob tried to attack a medical officer in a rural area.
Ms. Roja sought Deputy SP (Puttur) D. Murali Dhar to spread awareness at all red zones and containment areas in Nagari constituency, particularly at the hotspot of Gate Puttur which has around 40 cases, that people should strictly desist from travelling to Tamil Nadu for the next two months.
She said that a police constable would be posted at all hospitals to impose penalties on those violating COVID-19 guidelines. She also took a serious view of triple-riding by youth during the lockdown.