Bhubaneswar: In this second wave of COVID-19, Odisha is witnessing the spread of the virus from cities to villages with daily infections constantly being on the rise in the rural belts of the State.
According to a survey, of the total case reported in Odisha on April 9, 77 per cent cases reported in rural areas while 23 per cent are from rural areas. Similarly, as per the May 9 tally of the total infections, 76 per cent were from rural pockets of the State while for the urban area it was 24 per cent.
While the State government claims that steps are being taken to make the villages equipped with enough medical facilities to fight back the virus, experts believe that callousness on part of the people in the rural areas has led to the huge surge in COVID cases.
“Villagers are coming to the towns for many reasons. After getting contaminated, they are spreading the virus in their locality by not abiding by the Covid guidelines,” said Dr Laxmidhar Sahoo, director, Capital Hospital.
Echoing the same opinion, Professor Dr Sidharth Das, a health expert said, “The Covid cases soared in the villages sharing borders with Chhattisgarh. The residents of these villages came to town for work and the virus spread. Moreover, the festivals, functions at villages fuel the infection.”
“I hope the lockdown will be helpful to curb the spread of the virus,” Das added.
According to a report published in a leading national media house, 13 of the 24 Indian states have more caseload in rural parts (villages and small towns) as compared to the urban areas.