COVID-19 FREE STATE OF INDIA
After Nagaland , which reported its first Covid- 19 case on Monday, Lakshadweep is the only island which has remained free of the disease which has affected over 1.45 lakh people in India and more than five million globally. Lakshadweep is known for its exotic and sun kissed beaches and lush green landscape with an area of 32 sq.Km.The name Lakshadweep means a hundred thousand islands. It is a uni-district Union Territory and comprises of 12 atolls , three reefs, five submerged banks and ten inhabited islands. The capital is Kavarati and it is also the principal town of the UT.All Islands are 220 to 440 km away from the coastal city of Kochi in Kerala, in the Arabian Sea.
Spread of COVID-19
Corona Virus passed from one country to whole world due to movement of people from affected area to unaffected area. Tourism is one of the important service of coral rich Lakshadweep Island. The fear of the pandemic started much earlier in January when first case of Corona was detected in Kerala. But Lakshadweep managed its fears and became the first state/UT to have zero case in India.
Early Restriction on Foreign Tourist
Even before nation wide Lockdown, Lakshadweep restricted the entry of foreign tourist by 9th march and domestic tourists by 22nd March. According to Health officials of the UT, People of Lakshadweep are highly dependent on Kerala for their medical needs. The achievement is especially remarkable as there had been constant movement of people and essential supplies between Kerala and the islands till mid March. Health officials also utilised the initial few weeks of the lockdown to ramp up health facilities in case of an accidental transmission.
Mandatory Testing
According to the Health Secretary in Lakshadweep, Dr S Sundaravadivelu , When the lockdown was imposed, the people of Lakshadweep who wanted to come back were all tested for Covid 19 through RT PCR in Kochi and Mangalore. We brought them back only if they tested negative. All of them tested negative ,”Health secretary Dr S Sundaravadivelu said “We used the usual methods of awareness by employing the ASHA and Anganwadi workers to go door to door, educating the people about the virus. If they reported fever and other suspected symptoms of Covid , they could call on our helpline. We took samples of some suspected cases and sent them to Kerala. But they came back negative."
Double Layer of Precaution
As a double layer of precaution, those who tested negative and returned from the mainland were subjected to home quarantine for 14 days. Their families were quarantined too. In the first week of April, a transit accommodation building near the Indira Gandhi Hospital in Kavarati was converted into a dedicated Covid-19 hospital, complete with isolation beds, ICU beds and ventilators. Quarantine centres were opened in all inhabited islands although they did not need to be put to use.
Credit goes to Kerala
Kerala has a positive track record of fighting viral infections in the past. As seen in the case of Covid 19 too, the state successfully controlled two waves of the infection and is currently in the middle of the third with a death rate of just 1.44 Dr K Shamsudheen , the National Health Mission (NHM) director in Lakshadweep said “That’s a proven fact (of Kerala’s preparedness). Not just nationally, but even internationally.
Cautious Governance Regarding COVID-19
Authorities in Lakshadweep were aware that they were completely dependent on Kerala from testing to the treatment of critically care. So they took every possible steps to prevent the outbreak of the corona and help the people in case of emergency. Even now, as lockdown regulations is relaxed and get further relaxed and the islanders prepare to move out to the mainland. They are taking cautious steps to regulate the movements.
Covid-19 E-Jagaratha Portal
Covid-19 jagratha is a comprehensive solution for effective daily reporting/monitoring of the quarantine and health status of the people under surveillance by Field Health Workers like PHN/JHI/Asha (Ward RRT) and provision of health service through tele consultation and referral by Medical Officers based on the reports available in the system.This is also a one stop platform for the public to avail emergency services and information related to Covid-19 and ensures transparency and quality in public service and welfare measures.
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