A village in Odisha’s Ganjam district - Karanjara village in Danapur panchayat of Khalikote block – has been a role model as it has managed to keep itself completely protected
Bengaluru: With the virus spread increasing in the rural areas of India, there is a massive threat that the situation can worsen.
However, during such a threat, there are a few villages that have remained completely insulated.
A village in Odisha’s Ganjam district - Karanjara village in Danapur panchayat of Khalikote block – has been a role model.
It has as many as 261 households and a population of 1234 people. But it has not reported a single case of the virus so far.
India Today reports that random tests were conducted on 32 people in January and all of them tested negative.
The contribution of health workers has played a crucial role in dealing with the issue.
“The villagers are very much aware of the Covid-19 safety protocols. Every single villager, including women and children, wear masks and strictly follows social distancing whenever they leave their house,” says Vijay Kulange, as repoted by India Today.
“It is their perseverance that keeps them at home, and not a single villager steps out of their home until something extremely important happens,” he adds.
“Since the beginning of the pandemic, we have been raising massive awareness among villagers to wear masks and follow social distancing norms as instructed by the administration,” says Trinath Behera, President of the Karanjara Village community.
“Despite the fact that some of our village's youth work in Mumbai, they did not return last year. Those who returned were self-quarantined for 14 days in government healthcare centres before being allowed to return to the village,” Trinath Behara added.
At a time when the penetration of the covid pandemic into the rural areas of India is a great threat, the lack of healthcare infrastructure only adds to the problem.
However, a few villages – like in the one in Odisha - in the country are an exception. They come as a whiff of fresh air in the ongoing pandemic as they have kept themselves completely protected.
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