Covid fear forced them to live in fields, untimely rains sent them back home 

ANANTAPUR: Out of fear of contracting coronavirus, about one fourth of the total 1,900 population in Duradakunta village of Kalyandurg mandal in the district left their houses and started living in agriculture fields. But untimely rains in the district sent them back home.It all started after ‘Chekka Bhajana’ was organised in the village on April 21 marking Sri Rama Navami. The devotional programme attracted a large number of people from Duradakunta and neighbouring villages. 

Villagers also invited their relatives to their houses for celebrating Sri Rama Navami. After the end of festival, the number of Covid cases increased in the village. Of the seven deaths that took place in the village in the subsequent weeks, three of them were confirmed as Covid-19 fatalities. Several people in the village developed suspected symptoms of Covid, which scared the villagers. 

About 500 people, who were frightened with the developments, left their houses and started living in makeshift shelters set up in the agriculture fields. Having learnt about it, medical and health staff visited Duradakunta and started conducting Covid tests, besides creating an awareness among villagers about precautions to be taken to keep the virus at bay. 

With the change in weather conditions, the villagers started returning to their homes. “We were afraid after a series of deaths in the village, mostly due to Covid. So we left our houses and started living in the fields to protect ourselves from the virus. The untimely rains forced us to return to our houses,” said G Suresh, a villager. Dr Raghavendra of PHC at Muddinayanapalle, which also covers Duradakunta, clarified that only three persons died of Covid. “The measures taken by the health authorities have instilled confidence in people and they started returning home.”