BackCovid-19: How Karnataka’s worst-hit district became virus-free
What worked was complete de-centralisation of administration for health checks, monitoring supply chain of essentials, and setting up of ward-level task forces and appointing panchayat 'covid warriors'
PremiumBengaluru: On 21 March, Karnataka’s Gauribidanur taluk recorded its first confirmed coronavirus case. Within a week of the first positive, the cluster of 233 villages in Chikkaballapur district, about 80 km from the state capital of Bengaluru, was locked down completely, and residents got involved in health committees and sanitization.
This week, the district—at one point a red zone with the highest number of cases in Karnataka—declared itself virus free. All 83 known covid-19 patients have recovered and been discharged.
Government officials said it was a community-driven approach that ensured the village flattened the curve. Residents set up village health committees, organised door delivery of essentials in autorickshaws, closed the border to neighbouring Andhra Pradesh and got youth to man the barricades, and installed an organic disinfectant tunnel in the main market. Women were trained to run the fever clinics with doctors. The Karnataka government has now decided to pilot the state’s health-register-for-all project in Chikballapur district.
“When the first case was detected in March, the entire taluk measuring about 900km with 233 villages was shut off. We trained the youth to guard the border to ensure no one crossed over. We set up health care centres in every street so that there was minimal movement of people when they felt sick. No resident stepped out to buy anything. From milk to medicines, everything was doorstep delivered by designated autorickshaws. That helped us contain the virus spread. It was a people's movement to eradicate the virus," said covid-19 district special prevention officer B.N. Varaprasad Reddy.
What worked was complete de-centralisation of administration for health checks, monitoring supply chain of essentials, and setting up of ward-level task forces and appointing panchayat “covid warriors".
“We worked like one big family to chase the virus away. There was clear break down of tasks for every volunteer," said B M Harish, a covid volunteer and a farmer.
Horticulture is the main occupation in the taluk of 2.9 lakh people. To ensure that farmers could still sell their vegetables and fruit, volunteers formed groups to pick up produce and get it to markets. “Now, post lockdown, we have started vegetable markets in every ward and have told students to promote them on social media to create a market outside the taluk," he said.
This isn’t the first time the community has come together and found itself in the headlines. In 2015, Vyachakurahalli village in Gauribidanur taluk became India's first smokeless village when all 274 households switched from firewood to LPG stoves.
Gauribidanur taluk is also known as India’s “forgotten Jalianwala Bagh". More than 30 people were killed in police firing for hoisting a Congress flag in 1938. “We have a long history of coming together for a cause," Harish said.
Reddy said the challenge was to keep cases from rising after the lockdown was lifted on 4 May. “It was important to keep the protocols in place and tell residents to adhere to them," he said. It’s been three weeks now and Reddy is hopeful but is keeping his fingers crossed. “Door-to-door awareness drives are continuing with volunteers to keep the district covid-free."
Thrilled that they’ve gone from a red zone that recorded the second covid-19 death in Karnataka to a virus-free zone, villagers are now determined to demand better health infrastructure. “The virus has taught us the importance of regular health checks and having more clinics. We will use this experience to improve healthcare in our village," said S.A. Manjunath from Honegenahalli, who organizes the weekly vegetable market.
Buoyed by the success of community involvement during the pandemic, the Karnataka government has decided to pilot its health-register-for-all project in Chikballapur district. “The modalities are all being worked out to put this in place," said Reddy.
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