COVID - 19, as we all know by now, is an infectious disease caused by the newly discovered Corona Virus. This new virus and disease were unknown before the outbreak began in Wuhan, China, in December 2019. The first case in India was identified on 30th January. More cases started coming to light in the country from March onwards and as on 28th April the total number of reported cases were over 29,000 and still increasing fairly rapidly.

Andhra Pradesh has also recorded a high number of positive cases for COVID-19 since March 2020. As on 28th April 2020, a total of 61,266 samples have been tested in the State, of which, 1259 (2.05 % tests positive) are confirmed cases, 258 cases were cured and discharged and 60,007 samples have been tested negative. The State has also seen 31 deaths till date due to the pandemic.

AP has been implementing the lockdown strictly, starting with the Janata Curfew on March 22nd, 2020. Transportation, Markets and Industries have been closed throughout the State except for essentials, to curb the spread of the virus. However, the lockdown had a huge impact on the lives of the rural and tribal people of the State, whose main livelihood was either daily wage labour or selling of local produce.

Effect on Rural and Tribal Communities in the State: 

Transportation:

Words like “Curfew” and “Lockdown” are alien to the rural people, as they were never used to such situations. The remote tribal villages and hamlets were affected due to shut down of all modes of transportation to the nearest towns and cities and people were unable to travel for work or for getting essentials.

The daily wage labourers who migrated to the nearest cities like Hyderabad, Chennai, Visakhapatnam and Vijayawada had no place to go, and they had to walk for very long distances to reach their hometowns. Without proper food and water, and given the hot weather conditions, most of such migrant workers were stranded without any help.

In some places, the villagers as well government staff have provided food and shelter to these migrants at nights but during the day their troubles continued as they embarked on their journey on foot until they reached their respective hometowns. Some people who had the luxury of a two-wheeler found it difficult to continue their ride due to the non-availability of fuel in rural areas.

The local farmers are facing a lot of problems as they are unable to transport their produce such as chilly and tobacco to cold storage facilities.

 Availability of essentials:

Even though the government has announced that essential services would be available, with the local shops being closed in most of the villages, people there are finding it difficult to procure basic necessities and essential food and grocery supplies.

Education:

All the schools have been closed and all exams cancelled except for class 10, and all the students in lower classes have been promoted to the next level. Physical Education Teachers (PETs) along with Anganwadi and panchayat staff, have been posted as village security at check posts for controlling vehicular movement in and out of the village.

The apprehension is that the long break from school and studies may increase the drop-out rates in students in the coming academic year, as many children may lose interest in studies by the time the schools re-open. Also, unlike the better off schools in cities, government schools in villages and tribal areas do not have the awareness, infrastructure or capacity to conduct virtual classes for their students.

Health:

The government owned 108 & 104 emergency ambulance services have been increased along with private ambulances, to meet the healthcare needs of the people, including those residing in remote parts of the State. Owing to certain fake news being circulated in social media, some villages closed their roads, thus hampering the movement of ambulances into and through theses villages. During an emergency, the time of the ambulance drivers is wasted in clearing such blockades to enter the villages.

People are afraid to open up about their health problems such as ordinary cold, cough or fever due to weather changes, fearing the isolation and exclusion from other villagers. Also, most of the migrant workers and labourers who returned to their respective villages have not undergone testing for COVID-19 and have not followed the government guidelines of self-isolation and quarantine either, thus endangering their lives as well as the lives of their neighbours.

Measures Taken by Government of AP to Control Covid-19 Spread:

The government has created a large pool of volunteers for all the villages, with a minimum of 20 to 30 people working for one panchayat. Along with them, the Anganwadi workers, healthcare workers like ASHAs and ANMs, Panchayat staff and the Police have been working very hard to ensure that the rural people are made aware of the seriousness of the pandemic and the necessity of taking protective measures.

The government has also ensured that free ration reaches the doorstep of villagers through the volunteers and direct services for each village were enabled for supply of vegetables under the purview of the panchayat secretary and the village revenue officer.

Government school buildings have been converted into shelters for migrants who are walking back to their respective villages. Food is being provided to them along with certain basic essentials.

Health surveys have been conducted in every village to assess the health conditions of people and also to generate awareness amongst them about their safety and necessary care. Mid-day meals and supplies for pregnant and lactating mothers under ICDS are being made directly to the beneficiaries at their homes.

Agricultural activities have been permitted and permission to transport produce to cold storage has been granted for the farmers. The small general stores in the villages have been asked to open only in the mornings till 11 am.

As evident from the above discussion, the AP Government is taking various measures to respond to the crisis in rural and tribal areas. A few suggestions in this regard to improve effectiveness of the response are as follows:

-Since ICMR has approved the COVID testing kits in AP, the government can plan and set up COVID testing centres in each village, in collaboration with the health department.

-School teachers can be used as volunteers for conducting village surveys and creating awareness among the public.

The views expressed in this piece are those of the authors, and don’t necessarily reflect the position of CBGA. You can reach Sariyam Teja Krishna Chaithanya at tejasariyam@cbgaindia.org.