Bhawanipatna: As many as 12 Kerala-returnee men have been camping inside a makeshift tent on the outskirts of Kumbharpipalguda village under Jayapatna block in Kalahandi district after they were denied entry to their houses amid coronavirus scare.
According to villagers, these men had been working in Kerala’s Thrissur district at a cracker factory. They returned back to their homes as the numbers of COVID-19 positive cases started rising in that state.
Besides, the factory management locked down the factory and instructed the workers to go back to their respective native places.
With the help of the district administration, the workers reached Jaypatna and went to their village after a health check-up was conducted at Jaypatna community health centre.
While the returnees urged the school authority to allow them to use village schoolhouse during their quarantine period, the request was denied. Meanwhile, the villagers didn’t allow the men to enter the village either.
With no other way out, these men erected a tent and have been living there. Their family members have been providing them with food at the tent house.