As many as 15,000 people who recently returned in Nadia from various states including the Covid-19-hit states like Maharashtra and Kerala have been quarantined to check the spread of coronavirus in the district.

In an official statement, Dr Asit Kumar Dewan, deputy chief medical officer of health and district nodal officer said, “Around 15000 people came from various states in recent days. Most have been tracked and they have been quarantined to check the spread of the dreaded virus. A few of them have been kept in our quarantine center while most have been put in home quarantine”.

The sudden influx of migrant labourers from different states became a cause of concern for the district administration and health officials as most of the migrants had gone to their native villages without undergoing any medical checkups. Many labourers who returned from Covid-19-hit states like Maharashtra and Kerala were seen walking down the streets from Krishnagar railway station and caught private vehicles to reach their villages.

When media persons informed the matter, the district administration, health officials and police jointly took to the streets and set up temporary camps at different locations including the railway stations at Kalyani, Chakdah, Ranaghat, Santipur and Krishnagar to conduct medical checkups. It was too late as thousands of migrants had already got down from various trains and buses and left for their destinations. Local residents, who are panicked on seeing that hundreds of migrant labourers were allowed to go without undergoing any medical checkups, alleged that local administration did nothing to check the influx of such migrants when hundred percent local residents responded the Prime Minister’s call for Janta Curfew.

“A lot many people have come from those states where this disease (coronavirus) has spread and many of them may have brought the symptoms of this disease here,” Vibhu Goel, district magistrate, Nadia said, adding that it is imperative to maintain distance, trace and test those who had returned from coronavirus-affected states.

“All-out efforts are being made to trace the remaining people,” said Mr Goel, stressing that constant monitoring was in progress to keep tabs on new entrants. Dr Dewan also said they have begun putting up posters outside the houses of the people under home quarantine, advising people to avoid visits to such residents. In the posters, it will mention the period of quarantine and the number of people who have been advised to be isolated inside the house.

“It is just to avert a community outbreak of Covid-19 as we are in the second phase of the outbreak. This initiative has been taken under community surveillance,” said Biswajit Dhang, OC, Health, Nadia.

Meanwhile, the Nadia district administration has increased the number of beds at its six quarantine centers from 347 to 406. It has also increased the number of beds at its seven isolation centers from 47 to 64.

“So far, the district has no positive Covid-19 case. We have admitted 27 people till today on suspicion of having some symptoms of coronavirus, but after observation 12 persons have been discharged,” said Dr Dewan. In addition to this, the district administration today screened (Thermal Checkup) 18 journalists and photographers who are working in the district headquarters.