Jharsuguda June 20 : Koet, a sleepy village in Malda panchayat in Jharsuguda district has been the envy of nearby villages. Reason is that the village has not reported even a single case of Covid-19 since the outbreak of the pandemic.
This correspondent visited the village and interacted with some locals to find out how the villagers have so far been able to keep the killer disease at bay.
During the interaction, Suresh Bisi said the villagers have been able to keep Covid-19 at the border of the village for their unity and awareness.
‘From the day one we used to keep ourselves informed about the disease.
Our district also started reporting cases of Covid-19. We saw this coming. In order to protect our village from the pandemic, we the members of Jaydeva Club stepped forward. We made people aware of the symptoms of the disease, how it gets transmitted and how it is claiming lives,’ he narrated.
Besides the club members, Anganwadi workers and ASHAs also visited door-to-door, making the people aware of the disease. The villagers made it a principle to wash their hands regularly, wear masks whenever they needed to go out and maintain social distancing among them.
And they are still following these norms religiously. Informing about the honour the village received, block development officer (BDO) Prasanna Pandey said that the villagers’ swab samples had been collected twice and the reports had come out to be negative for the infection.
‘Most villagers belong to the fishing community. And it has proved to be a boon for them during this pandemic. For livelihood, they don’t need to go outside searching for work. They catch fish from the river to make both ends meet. Those who go to nearby markets to sell the catch have to obey the villagers’ decision of wearing masks, maintaining social distancing and using sanitiser after each transaction. Because of these efforts the village is still Covid-19-free,’ Pandey said.
The village is situated on the confluence of Bheden and Ib rivers, bordering Sambalpur district and is around 30 kilometres away from Dhenkanal district headquarters. While the village’s population is around 300, 80 per cent of the total population belongs to the fishing community.
The villagers said their unity is their strength. In case anyone falls ill and they can’t avail treatment due to financial crisis, the villagers come forward to help them out.
‘The disease has affected all the nations across the globe. To win the battle against this invisible enemy, all of us must fight united,’ they observed.