Covid-19 suspect gives birth, nursing home sealed in East Midnapore

Biswabrata Goswami

Statesman News Service

MIDNAPORE, 22 APRIL: A private nursing home at Contai in East Midnapore has been sealed over the suspicion that a woman, who gave birth to a baby, might have been infected by a novel coronavirus.

The district health department authorities have asked all the doctors, nurses and health staff attached to the nursing home to go into home quarantine for observation. Other patients admitted in the nursing home have been shifted to other health institutions, a senior district health official said.

The health official also said that they have asked the family members of the patient to stay themselves in home quarantine for the next fourteen days as a precautionary measure to prevent the spread of the dreaded virus in the locality.

According to a nursing home authority, the woman was admitted in the nursing home with labour pain recently. She gave birth to a male baby on Sunday. But, her condition started deteriorating as she was suffering from fever and breathing disorder. The doctors who were examining the patient suspected that she might have the novel coronavirus. They immediately informed the matter to the district health authority who immediately sent the patient to an isolation center and sealed off the nursing home.

Last Saturday, the woman had been admitted in the Contai sub-divisional hospital with fever and breathing problem. The hospital doctors after examining the patient suspected her of suffering from novel coronavirus and referred her to NRS hospital in Kolkata. 

But hiding this, the patient's family admitted her to the nursing home in Contai where she gave birth to a baby on Sunday, said Dr Sabyasachi Chakraborty, superintendent of Contai sub-divisional hospital adding that swab sample of the woman has been sent to the Midnapore Medical College and Hospital (MMCH) for test.

The incident comes at a time when the state government has made it clear that the state’s sensitive zones, which have seen the highest number of Covid-19 cases, will see stricter norms and urged people to follow them.

East Midnapore district has been identified as a high risk zone and a fresh positive case was reported on 19 April.. This apart, Egra and Haldia have been regarded as the most sensitive zones. Most of the positive cases were reported from these two areas. Though no positive case has been reported from Contai yet, local residents are worried about the possible spread of the virus.

Courtesy: Image from Outlook India.

Farmer's family saddled with 28 funeral guests for nearly a month

Biswabrata Goswami 

Statesman News Service

KRISHNAGAR, 20 APRIL: “Now is not a good time to die”, said Subrata Sardar, who has come to join a funeral ceremony on 19 March at his in-law’s house at Komthana, Sardarpara under Palashipara police station area in Nadia, but he could not return back to house at Gangnapur due to consecutive ‘curfews’ – Janata curfew and lockdowns.

Like him, another 27 persons including a few children have come to the house of one Atul Bhowmik’s house from different areas of the district to join the funeral ceremony where an 85-year-old woman –Sundari Bhowmik died due to old-age ailments.

The consecutive Janata curfew, 21-day lockdown and another two weeks lockdown up to 3 May have become one of the most unforgettable events in Atul Bhowmik’s life. “It’s really challenging for a poor farmer’s family to bear the daily foods and essential items for 28 guests for over a month. It’s grief upon grief. The harsh reality is that no one from administration or panchayat has come forward to help us”, said Bhowmik.

“We are three brothers. So, my two brothers are accommodating rooms and providing food for our guests. But, it is becoming excruciating to us to bear the burden”, Bhowmik added.

This apart, the bereaved family members have arranged accommodation of their guests to their relatives’ houses in the village and many of them are staying there for the last 20 days. However, things are not smooth there either. For, here too, families are struggling hard to keep the guests in their houses.

When asked, Subrata also pointed, “What makes it even harder to live is the hint of hostility and suspicion with which the locals regard us.”

“We approached the local Trinamul Congress panchayat pradhan to extend help to us, but he denied doing anything for us”, said Bhowmik.

When contacted, Subrata appealed, “Please, sir, do something for us so that we can return to our houses as quickly as possible”.

Informed about the situation, a team of Association for Protection of Democratic Rights (APDR) activists headed by Moutuli Nagsarkar submitted a deputation before the SDO, Sadar, urging him to make arrangements so that these stranded people can reach their houses as early as possible.

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Charatala village in Nadia declared as containment zone

Biswabrata Goswami

Statesman News Service

KRISHNAGAR, 19 APRIL: Charatal village, a minority dominated area in Chapra block in Nadia, where an ex-BSF jawan was tested positive for Covid-19, has been declared as a containment zone by the district administration today.

The district administration had already sealed off the village hours after the test report of the ex-jawan was found positive a few days ago. In addition to this, four armed police personnel have been posted round the clock at two ends of the barricade put up on the street. Close circuit cameras have been installed along the main road and 12 civic volunteers and Asha workers have been deployed in the area for communication with the residents.

The administration will provide essential items to people residing in the zone. No one will be allowed to enter or exit from this zone. A door to door health checkup of around 200 families will be carried out to ascertain whether any infected person is residing in the area.

Confirming it, Vibhu Goel, district magistrate said, “As per government guidelines, we have taken action so that no further case is reported from this area. We have announced the area as a containment zone and to check the spread of the dreaded virus, we have started implementing the guidelines”.

Mr Goel also said, “We are also implementing guidelines meant for the containment zone at Burnia in Tehatta where five persons including three minors were tested positive. Though, these people were later found to be tested negative and they were released from the hospital, but we don’t want to leave any stone to check the spread of the dreaded virus in the locality. If required, more areas across the district will be declared as containment zones to breach the chain of the virus”.

Today, an official team including district magistrate and superintendent of police visited Charatala and faced resistance from women and senior citizens. They claimed that their area has been sealed off for the last few days while no food grains or essential things have been supplied by the administration.

“I have had no business for the past one month. My husband who works as a washer man in a private hospital too is idle now. We do not have resources to buy provisions for the entire month at once, and I am embarrassed to call every time I need small amounts of groceries and vegetables costing Rs 20 to Rs 30,” Amina Bibi says.

“Due to lockdown, most of the residents are facing difficult situations. Furthermore, as the village has been declared as a containment zone, it will be very tough for the residents to collect food and essential things if the administration is not providing these to us”, said Manirul Sheikh.

“There is no need to hesitate. We will provide anything the residents need. They just have to say it. Initially, we faced a little resistance but the problem has been solved,” said Mr Goel.

The state government has recently issued guidelines on definition and procedures to be followed in the containment zone besides listing out the roles and responsibilities of various departments to contain the further spread of the Covid-19 across the state.

As per the new guidelines issued by the state government, the area around the house of the Covid-19 patient can be declared as a ‘Containment Zone’ and stringent measures will be put in place to contain the spread of Covid-19.

The activities include banning the movement of people, delivery of all essentials to the doorstep of citizens. The area will continue to remain as a containment zone until no COVID-19 positive case is reported for the next 28-days from the same area.

Special Story

Green-less Urbanization leading to India’s Heat Islands

Biswabrata Goswami

MIDNAPORE, 18 April: IIT Kharagpur study confirmed recently that the intensity of urban heat islands is positive in most cities (up to 2°C) in all seasons during day and night. The researchers from the institute’s Centre for Oceans, Rivers, Atmosphere and Land Sciences (CORAL) and Department of Architecture and Regional Planning have found that most big cities of India with population more than one million, have positive heat island intensity during daytime while simultaneously showing an increasing trend in the nighttime urban heat island intensity.

The study has been published in the international Elsevier publication Journal of Environmental Management.

The increase in global surface temperature or global warming is a great concern, especially the Urban Heat Island (UHI) phenomena which is among the major consequences of the alteration of earth's surface due to human activities. The relatively warmer temperatures in urban areas compared to their suburban areas has potential health hazards, such as mortality due to high temperatures and heat waves, and pollution in urban areas; opine the researchers Sarath Raj, Prof. Saikat Kumar Paul, Prof. Arun Chakraborty and Prof. Jayanarayanan Kuttippurath.

The key finding in the study is the role of anthropogenic activities in increasing the urban temperature in India.

As per a World Bank report, approximately a third of the total population in India (~7% of total world population) lived in cities in 2018. The trend shows an increase of urbanization by almost 4% in the last decade, meaning people have moved away from rural areas to find work and make a living in the cities. To accommodate the additional needs of this increasing population the cities have witnessed some of the major human activities pertaining to changes in land use and land cover through decrease in green cover, increase in impervious surface area and infrastructural development.

In addition, UHI situation demands more energy (e.g. fans and air-conditioners) that would trigger greenhouse gas emissions. These have led to modify the temperature of a city, remarks said lead author of the paper Sarath Raj.

“Our study is a detailed and careful analysis of urban heat islands of India which is the difference between urban and surrounding rural land surface temperatures, across all seasons in 44 major cities of India, for the period 2001-2017. For the first time we have found evidence of mean daytime Surface UHI Intensity (SUHII) going up to 2 °C for most cities, as analysed from satellite temperature measurements in monsoon and post-monsoon periods,” said Prof. Arun Chakraborty.

These data are also supported by the analysis of aerosols, night lights, precipitation and vegetation in the study regions. In areas like Kolkata, Pune, Guwahati etc where the urban areas are surrounded by large vegetated areas in suburban regions there is an enhanced cooling effect on surface in suburban areas during day as against cities like Delhi, Jaipur and cities in arid regions.

“Evidence from our study suggests that more green spaces within the city and its boundary could reduce the temperature in the city and its neighbourhood. Conservation and expansion of vegetated areas, and preserving water bodies in and around cities could be an effective strategy to curb the effects of urban heat islands. The construction of green buildings and selection of materials for buildings and other infrastructure such as eco-friendly materials could also prove to be crucial to mitigate the effects of heat islands,” said co-author Prof. Jayanarayanan Kuttippurath.

Krishnagar hospital staff up in arms over decision to set up Covid-19 isolation ward for expectant mothers

Biswabrata Goswami

Statesman News Service

KRISHNAGAR, 18 APRIL: Nurses and paramedical staff at the Krishnagar Sadar Hospital in Krishnagar, today, launched a protest agitation against the decision taken by the district health department authorities for setting up an isolation ward for pregnant women suffering from infection of novel coronavirus inside the hospital premises.

This brewed up at a time when the chief minister Mamata Banerjee has categorically mentioned that no corona-related system like isolation ward, quarantine center or Covid-19 hospital should be set up inside the general hospital complex. In this regard, she had even expressed her disappointment against a few district magistrates who eventually had framed up a system inside the complex of general hospitals in their respective districts in recent times.

The Nadia district administration had set up two Covid-19 hospitals, one at SNR Carnival Hospital in Kalyani and Glocal hospital beside NH-34 in the outskirts of the district headquarters. But, later they turned the Glocal hospital as an isolation center.

The new decision to set up an isolation ward inside the premises of the Sadar hospital, dedicated for pregnant women and children up to six years including post natal treatment, has bewildered the nursing and paramedical staff.

“There is every possibility of spreading infection of the dreaded novel coronavirus among the normal expecting mothers because doctors will visit every ward. The nursing staffs working in various wards are not properly equipped with Personal Protective Equipment (PPE). So, in this circumstance, it is unfortunate that our authorities are considering setting up such a vulnerable ward inside the hospital premises”, said a nursing staff.

The agitating nurses also held the district health department authorities for failing to provide safety gear meant for treating coronavirus.

The nurses and paramedical staff held the protest outside the office of the chief medical officer of health alleging that authorities were not showing any concern for the safety of the staff.

“We are not saying that we will not work. But, before dealing with such types of suspected patients, we should be properly protected with safety gears. The district authority will supply PPE for doctors and nurses in the isolation wards. But, the staff in the emergency department will be the first ones to encounter patients”, a nursing staff said on condition of anonymity.

On hearing the agitation, the district magistrate Vibhu Goel rushed to the hospital this evening and held a meeting with the agitating nursing and paramedical staff.

When asked Mr Goel said, “There was a miscommunication between the health authorities and nursing staff. But, now the problem has been resolved”.

Meanwhile, the district health department has sent 12 hospital employees in the quarantine center. These employees had directly come in contact with the infected ex-BSF jawan, who was admitted in the Saktinagar district hospital, in the last 24 hours. This apart, eight persons from the Charatala area where the infected jawan lived have also been sent to the quarantine center for observation.

Many shortlisted for quarantine after ex-BSF tests positive for Covid-19

Biswabrata Goswami

Statesman News Service

KRISHNAGAR, 17 APRIL: A sizeable number of people have been shortlisted for sending them in quarantine, hours after an ex-BSF jawan was found tested positive for Covid-19 in Nadia.

Sources placed in the district health department said, nine persons including doctors and nurses have already been sent to different quarantine centers as they directly came in contact with the jawan when he was admitted in the Saktinagar district hospital in Krishnagar a few days ago.

This apart, five family members including two minors of the infected jawan, a resident of Charatala in Chapra, have also been sent to the isolation center and their samples have been sent to Kolkata for test, a health official said.

Sources also said that another one person, a resident of Baro Andulia in Chapra, who has been attached with Khidirpur dock and his wife have been sent to a quarantine center for observation today. The man has the same symptoms as that of ex-BSF jawan and the district health department after knowing it from its ground level workers picked them up from their houses early this morning and sent them to a quarantine center.

Meanwhile, nurses and sisters attached to the Saktinagar district hospital launched an agitation against the mismanagement of the district health department last night. They gheraoed the superintendent of the district hospital demanding immediate supply of essential kits. They argued that they are being exposed directly to the corona suspected patients, but they have no proper protection.

Later, the district magistrate, Vibhu Goel reached the hospital and tackled the situation. The patients, who were admitted in the ward along with the ex-BSF jawan, have immediately been shifted to a quarantine center at Ruipukur, sources said.

As the panic gripped in the locality soon after the news spread, the district health department has begun tracking the persons who came in contact with the afflicted person. “We are collecting data from the locality about the movements of the infected person in the locality and their interaction with the neighbourers or relatives during his stay. For precautionary measures, we will keep the person who came in contact with the infected persons either in quarantine center or in home quarantine,” said a health official.

Meanwhile, the district administration and police have sealed the village and urged the villagers not to go out from their houses.

“We have sealed Charatala village for preventive measures asking villagers not to go out from their houses. We have also put up posters mentioning help line numbers across the area and asked the villagers to call at the helpline numbers for any type of help starting from food items, groceries to medical help. All help will be given to them by our panchayat levels workers and district police will also help them from round the clock till lock down is over,” a senior administrative official said adding “All roads connecting with the village have been sealed so that no one will either enter or go out from the village. Basically, we have put the entire village in quarantine.”

Two migrant workers travel 200-km on foot to reach native village in Nadia

Biswabrata Goswami

Statesman News Service

KRISHNAGAR, 17 APRIL: Two young migrant labourers in Rampurhat embarked on a 200-km journey to reach their native village at Gede near Bangladesh border in Nadia on Thursday night.

Of course, this wasn’t the first time they were travelling home from Rampurhat. But unlike other times, this journey was to be made on foot.

The reason: all modes of public transport have been shut due to nationwide lockdown imposed to combat the spread of the novel coronavirus is continuing.

Sudip Roy, a native of Raghunandanpur village near Gede international border in Nadia district, who reached Krishnagar on foot last night, said he was attached with a private company which runs import and export business as a contract labourer in Rampurhat but there was no point in staying there for an uncertain period when there was no income due to the lockdown.

“Since everything is shut, our employers have asked us to come back only after things get normal, as they don’t have money to pay us”, he said.

No work for 35 days would mean no income. And surviving in a town like Rampurhat without any income would be a tough task for Roy and others.

“Since buses and other modes of transport are not available, we have decided to walk to reach home,” Roy added.

Roy and his friend Anup Khan started walking from Rampurhat on Wednesday morning to his village near Gede international border, around 250 kilometers away. They reached Bethuadahari, around 200 kilometers away yesterday evening, but the local patrolling police extended their help to them and picked them up in their vehicle. They dropped them on the national highway at the outskirts of the district headquarters in Krishnagar last night.

“We again started the journey on foot from the outskirts of the Krishnagar town to reach our village and if we find any vehicle, we will try to avail”, said Roy.

When they reached Krishnagar, it was already a 45-hours journey; they walked almost non-stop, with few breaks.

On seeing them walking past the road, a local resident, Saikat Sarkar came forward and asked them where they were walking. After hearing the tale, he immediately managed food for them and talked with the Kotwali police who granted them permission to stay inside the campus premises for a night. Sarkar then talked with the family members of one of them and asked them to bring them back on a motorcycle. This morning, their family members came here and accompanied them to reach their village, a police official said.

The unprecedented lockdown to check the spread of coronavirus has left thousands in the unorganized sector in trouble. The government has promised that no one will go hungry, but many migrant workers have been left without even a place to stay, overnight.

Like others in recent times, these two young migrant labourers so trudged on, carrying a bag with clothes, water and some biscuits.

“I didn’t want to do this but I had no option,” said Anup, asked about Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s appeal to migrant labourers to stay put instead of heading home, with the assurance that states will take care of their needs.

“But how could I have stayed? The company said we could not stay here. So what option did I have but head home,” said Anup.