COVID-19: Tripura's First Case Sparks Tension in Locality, 8 TSR Jawans in Isolation

Udaipur, April 8, 2020:

Tripura's first COVID-19 case has sparked tensions in the peripheries of the city of Udaipur sub-division of the State. Several people, who had come in direct contact with the positive patient, have been shifted to the quarantine facility.

District administration swung into action immediately after receiving the report of one woman of Gakulnagar area testing positive for COVID-19 as a precautionary measure to break the chain .

Speaking to this newsman, District Magistrate TK Debnath said, "Strict restrictions have been imposed on venturing out of one’s home since the entire region became vulnerable in the wake of the disease. In the core area, people those are living within one kilometer periphery of her residence at Gokulnagar, have been asked not to come out of their houses," adding that the administration has taken necessary steps to this end.

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He said, in case of any requirement, the residents in the core area could contact the police or civil administration and necessary steps then would be taken.

Moreover, people living within 3-km periphery of the woman’s house were also barred from coming out of their houses except for emergency purposes.

TK Debnath, while sharing details of the patient’s travel history, told media that the driver of the vehicle in which she travelled to GB Hospital had been taken to the ‘main’ quarantine facility. Out of the three family members of the woman, one child (7 years) has been put into the main quarantine so far.

“As many as 29 locals have been put into institutional quarantine”, Debnath said. It was learnt that the patient traveled to Guwahati with seven other members of the family and visited Kamakhya temple. They stayed at Sukhamani Hotel at Paltan Bazar (Room 304 and 307) and after site-seeing, they returned to Tripura on March 19. She also visited Jirania using local bus. She had also attended OPD in District hospital in Gomati and had also gone to ILS from where she was referred to GB. However, in ILS she was checked before entering into the building, said a statement from the ILS.

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The DM has also urged NGOs and all the benevolent persons or organization to refrain from directly involving in distribution of relief materials to needy people. He said, “Administration will shoulder the responsibility of distribution while willing NGOs, organizations and individuals should give the relief items to the administration. In view of the emerging situation the NGOs and others who wanted to help should not go into open and connect with people.

Meanwhile, COVID-19 has affected the woman’s son-in law – a TSR jawan. He has been taken to Amarpur Hospital on Tuesday night and lodged into quarantine. Seven other Jawans had also been shifted to quarantine at Amarpur Duluma TSR camp quarantine cell.

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All these eight jawans of TSR 5 Battalion were deployed at Ampinagar. Battalion sources said, Dipak Karmakar, along with his wife, was with his mother during her Assam tour. Last night, officers of TSR battalion 5 went to the TSR camp and picked up Dipak to send him to Amarpur Hospital quarantine cell. Later, Battalion commandant HS Darlong shifted seven other jawans of the same camp who shared room with Dipak Karmakar to quarantine cell of battalion’s hospital.

“All of these eight jawans will be under medical surveillance and undergo tests for Covid19. Authority has taken all essential steps for safety of jawans and prevent transmission of the virus,” Battalion sources said.

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