Islanders caught as collateral in the lockdown

Islanders caught as collateral in the lockdown

By

Debkumar Bhadra

With less than a week remaining into the 21 day lockdown, everyone seems to wonder if the lockdown will be lifted or extended! Well for a diverse country of 1.3 billion, there cannot be a one-size-fits-all answer, specifically when the choice is between life and livelihood. On one hand there is a perceived risk of undoing the commendable job of containing the deadly novel corona virus, on the other it is the country’s economy that is at stake.

While many states are already arguing for extending the lockdown, an update shared by the Chief Secretary to the UT Administration of Andaman and Nicobar has brought some respite. “All ten earlier positive cases are now negative after treatment. They will be shifted from hospital to institutional quarantine for 2 weeks” read the late night tweet by @ChetanSanghi. The islands which so far accounted for 11 corona positive cases, after ten of them declared negative, is left with one positive case in hospital as on date.

This has largely been possible due to two broad factors. The first one relates to administration combined with good institutional health care and its practitioners. The second being geographical separation of A&N Islands from any land mass.

Only way the virus could have come to these islands is either by ship or air ways. This is reflected from the fact that all corona positive cases recorded in these islands has been traced to those passengers who arrived by air on the day before the country went into lockdown ie on 24 March, 2020. All such passengers are either under hospital care or lodged in one or the other quarantine facility at Port Blair. Further those passengers who arrived on 23 March, 2020 (no arrival on 22 March due to janata curfew) were screened at the airport and sent to 14 days (home) quarantine.

Evidently isolation of Andaman and Nicobar group of islands proved to be a boon. With suspension of ship and air service, cut in possibility of virus transmission into the islands is practically absolute. But this turned bane, since inter-island transport were also called off. A large number of passengers hailing from inter-islands who came to Port Blair for one or the other reason prior to lockdown could not return and got stranded. They neither had travel history beyond the shores of these islands nor them considered a suspect, yet got caught as collateral and had been spending their days in exile since then.

Then there are those inter-island bound passengers, sent to quarantine facility as a precautionary measure on their arrival from mainland. Such passengers, on completion of their quarantine period too could not return to their respective islands again due to the same reason - non availability of transport.

Similar is the condition with those islanders who went to mainland for various reasons including specialised medical treatment. Caught away from home in the lockdown, these islanders with meagre resources at their disposal had been experiencing tremendous financial and psychological stress. After the Hon’ble MP and some NGO’s highlighted their pain and suffering, some are known to have been accommodated at Andaman House in Chennai, Kolkata and New Delhi. There are several others who are not in a position to travel to the government facility hence are at the mercy of others.

A social media post read a lady got stranded away from her 4 month old child due to sudden lockdown. Another social media post said a patient from Rangat after denied help had to ride pillion about 70 kms on motorbike to reach RP Hospital Mayabunder for dialysis. Unable to get a prescription medicine at Port Blair, a cancer patient’s son is pleading for help through social media. With mainland-island transport suspended, how far will the son succeed in his effort is a question. A tribal from Car Nicobar who went to mainland for treatment is surviving on food provided by Police. There are numerous such agonising tales being heard and shared.

The island administration has been responding positively in select cases brought to its notice through various means including social media posts, twitter tags etc. There has been instance where administration arranged for evacuation of patient in emergent situations, official posted in remote un-inhabited islands brought back to perform parent’s last rites, even mortal remains has been airlifted as per the wishes of grieving family members. But we know for every demand fulfilled, there are countless others waiting in anticipation. Despite putting in the best efforts, there is always more ground to cover. That is how it is.

Therefore while refraining from speculating on what lies beyond the 21st day of lockdown, it is imperative that authorities look at the possibility of extending transport facilities for those struck in different parts in the mainland. Similarly those hailing from inter-islands who have completed their quarantine and also those who neither have travel history to affected areas nor did they come in contact with the affected, but got caught inadvertently as collateral at various places in the islands, could be given an opportunity to return to their respective islands. That would bring the much needed respite in the life of those fellow islanders.