Bhawanipatna: Some alert families in Kalahandi district stopped 12 migrant workers, who returned from Kerala, from entering their village and made them spend three nights in isolation before allowing them to go home. At home also they have been asked to stay in quarantine, officials informed Tuesday.
The 12 migrant workers, residents of Kumbhar Pipalguda, returned from Kerala March 23 morning but the members of their families along with the villagers asked them not to proceed to their homes and mingle with others. The villagers took such a precaution as Kerala is one of the worst hit states by the pandemic COVID-19.
The returnees were asked to undergo a thorough medical check and remain outside the village, located under the jurisdiction of Jaipatna block, for 14 days as per quarantine guidelines, an official said quoting the villagers.
Showing due respect to their families and the villagers, all the workers stayed in a temporary shed on the outskirts of the village.
Jaipatna Block Development Officer (BDO), Aiswarya Samantray said the villagers showed awareness about coronavirus.
All the 12 persons were medically examined and none of them showed any symptoms of cold, cough and fever, the medical officer of the local community health centre (CHC), Somnath Meher, said. As the migrant workers did not show any symptoms of coronavirus, it was decided that their blood samples would not be collected for testing.
All of the returnees were shifted to the village school building where they stayed in isolation for two days, and then they allowed to go to their homes and asked to stay indoors.
A migrant worker’s wife said that the villagers, as a precautionary measure, insisted that all of them should be examined and put under home quarantine for 14 days. Her husband said the villagers did the right thing by reminding them of their responsibility towards the society and their families.
“What they did was in the interest of all. We readily followed their instructions and cooperated with the doctors and officials,” one of the Kerala returnees said.
So far around 6,367 migrant workers have returned to their villages in Kalahandi district.
PNN & Agencies
