Gadchiroli’s 1st 100 cases in 49 days, next 400 in just 20 days

Nagpur: The Maoist-affected Gadchiroli district is in the throes of a pandemic outbreak with more than 400 Covid cases reported in 20 days.
After crossing 100-mark in 49 days, since the first case was reported on May 17, the alarming spike in the tribal district came with security forces arriving here earlier this month. Till now 365 security personnel have so far tested positive in the district, the highest number in the state.The only relief was that almost all of them, barring three local cops, were quarantined after reaching here from other districts and states.
On July 5, 23 jawans of Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) tested positive after reaching the district at the end of their leave. The number of positives has kept rising in CRPF, with it now standing at 88.
The security personnel of State Reserve Police Force (SRPF) and CRPF were brought to the district as part of routine process of relieving deployed staff, and also to thwart Maoist violence during the forthcoming ‘Naxal saptah’ or martyrs’ week between July 28 and August 3. The forces have turned into a major headache after arriving in the district from different hotspots in the country. Around 274 SRPF jawans have tested positive so far in the district.
District collector Deepak Singla said instructions have been issued to the police department to ensure jawans are tested before being brought to Gadchiroli, and also refrain from summoning fresh forces now as the existing ones are already reeling under Covid infection. “Several jawans have been discharged and more are on the way. We require jawans for anti-Naxal operations but they need to be tested first before being brought here,” said Singla.
The collector said SRPF personnel staying in bunkers are in close contact with each other, leading to the spread of the infection. “We are unfortunately running out of space as Gadchiroli’s medical infrastructure does not have adequate manpower, and also there is dearth of private hospitals which can be converted into Covid centres,” he said.
District civil surgeon Dr Anil Rudey said Gadchiroli has maintained negligible death rate, with only one dying in Hyderabad. He said the district was also following three layers of Covid fighting infrastructure with 13 Covid Care Centres in different blocks of the tribal district, Dedicated Covid Health Centres at Armori, Kurkheda, Aheri and Gadchiroli, along with two 200-bedded Dedicated Covid Hospitals.
“We are not worried about the numbers but will fight to keep the death rate low and also stop community spread. So far, substantial manpower has been trained to conduct tests and also handle patients,” he said.