COVID-19: Migrant workers not allowed to enter village before medical examination

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families in Odisha's Kalahandi district stopped 12 migrant workers, who returned from Kerala, from entering their village and made them spend three nights in isolation before allowing to go home and placed under home quarantine, officials said on Tuesday.

The 12 migrant workers, residents of Kumbhar Pipalguda, returned from Kerala on 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, they said.

As the workers had returned from Kerala, they were asked to undergo a thorough medical checkup 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.

Officials and a medical team visited the site the same day, he said.

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 the coronavirus, it was decided that their blood samples would not be collected for testing, he said, adding that the medical team along with police also examined the workers the next day and advised them to stay at home for 14 days.

On March 24, all of them were shifted to the village school building where they stayed in isolation for 2 days, and then they allowed to go to their homes and asked to stay indoors.

All the workers are under scanner and if they complain of any health problems their samples would be collected for testing.

A 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, he said.

A senior police official said similar instances are being reported from different villages in the district where migrant workers are returning home.

So far around 6,367 migrant workers have returned to their villages in Kalahandi district.

Medical teams are visiting them for screening and asked them to observe home quarantine strictly, he said, adding that stickers are also being fixed outside their houses for identification and community monitoring.