Andaman & Nicobar Administration Fails to Address the Distress Call

Port Blair, July 30: Atleast 7 persons including the Doctor at the Health Centre at Chouldari Village in South Andaman District have been confirmed as COVID-19 positive. Yet the Health Centre continues without mandatory testing for the remaining staff posted there. The staff including paramedics are forced to visit the centre, which remains as a unsafe zone for all.

Apart from the Health Centre, there are 15 persons who are very sick, who have been in contact with the earlier corona positive cases. The worst being, the authorities turning a blind eye to the catastrophe prevailing in the village.

In a tweet to the Chief Secretary, Andaman & Nicobar Administration, who is also the Chairperson, Union Territory Disaster Management Executive Committee,  the Pradhan of Chouldari, Shri Mohan Halder has pleaded that the 15 sick persons in the village have been dialling 102 and have been trying to contact the Nodal Officer but there has been no positive response for sample test. Halder tweeted, “Please help us to control spreading”.

Earlier in a press release the Andaman & Nicobar Administration had mentioned, “Ever since the outbreak of the COVID-19 in the islands, the Andaman and Nicobar Administration has taken various measures to contain the spread of Corona Virus. Currently the UT is conducting 55343 tests per million which is highest in the country. The fatality rate is only 0.3% which is substantially lower than the national average. Despite the fact that Administration has taken serious steps towards containing the virus, the number of positive cases has gone of substantially in past two weeks”.

While the Andaman & Nicobar Administration has been trying to justify its stand by talking about test per million and terming the fatality rate as ‘only 0.3%’, it could never deny the fact that the number of positive cases has gone of substantially in the past two weeks.

The Union Territory of A&N Islands today recorded its third death, which accounts for three deaths in the past two days due to COVID-19. In spite of this and the plea by the helpless people, the Administration in the Andaman & Nicobar Islands appears to be taking things lightly.

It’s time to #TakeResponsibility. This time the catchphrase is not meant for the general islanders by for the Andaman & Nicobar Administration to Take Responsibility and come up to the expectations of the panicked islanders.