43 more test COVID positive

Srirangapatna: Srirangapatna is slowly turning into a COVID hotspot as more devotees returning from inter-State travel are testing positive for COVID.

While 33 tested positive since last three days, 43 tested positive yesterday. About 120 devotees, who arrived in buses from a pilgrimage, were subjected to RT-PCR test yesterday out of which 43 tested positive. While the positive patients have been shifted to Srirangapatna COVID Care Centre, the remaining have been isolated at their homes.

Health Dept. takes lead

The Health Department, which swung into action immediately, conducted an enquiry to know how many of them had gone to the pilgrimage and learnt that hundreds from neighbouring villages of Srirangapatna had gone on a pilgrimage.

Alarmed over this, Mandya District Health Officer (DHO) Dr. N.K. Venkatesh collected mobile phone numbers of those devotees returning to Srirangapatna yesterday, urged them not to go back home but get tested.

Following this, 120 devotees, who arrived in two buses to the hospital, underwent RT-PCR in two batches and when the results came in the evening, 43 of them had tested positive.

Here, the role of ASHA workers has to be lauded as they are tracing the primary and secondary contacts of positive patients and convincing them to get themselves tested. These contacts will undergo RT-PCR test today and the Taluk Administration is keeping its fingers crossed.

No food supply at CCC

As the Taluk Administration has not paid the Rs. 6 lakh bill for the caterer, who had supplied food to the patients admitted at the COVID Care Centre (CCC) during the 2nd wave of pandemic, no food is supplied now.

With no food, the patients tried to go out of the CCC, but the Tahsildar convinced them and requested the caterer to provide food besides assuring him of paying the pending bills following which the caterer served food.

Officials busy with Yuvajanotsava

Meanwhile, public have alleged that despite spike in COVID positive cases in Srirangapatna, the District Administration officials were busy conducting Yuvajanotsava in Nagamangala.

None of the officials have bothered to hold meetings or create awareness to contain the spread of the deadly virus, they added.

It is learnt that today too, about 150 devotees left for a pilgrimage from Srirangapatna.

In the wake of clusters, Mandya District Minister K.C.  Narayanagowda yesterday told Health Department officials to take steps for shifting patients to CCCs. He told the DHO and the Taluk Health Officers (THOs) to treat the infected children, shift them to the COVID Care Centre and subject all their contacts, including parents and family members to RT-PCR tests.

The Minister told authorities to keep a tab on those returning from other States as there was information that the infected persons in Srirangapatna had returned after an inter-State travel.