KOCHI: Fort Kochi’s famed Chinese fishing nets have been lying idle for over two weeks now because of the curfew. The world-famous seascape dotted with rows of nets used to be bustling with activity, drawing tourists from the world over until just a few months back. But they are now a sad reflection of Covid-19 pandemic turning tables on Fort Kochi’s life and dreams.
The picturesque streets of the area used to teem with awestruck tourists, both international and domestic. But now, even the hotels and homestays, where nightlife used to stretch until the break of dawn, are vacant. Never in living memory has Fort Kochi seemed so desolate, says Bridget Mary, a homestay owner, comparing the town’s present state to that of a ghost town from the Hollywood movies.
“Fort Kochi’s diversity and varied cultures attracted hordes of tourists round the year. Even in its interior lanes, one would find people walking, and encounter tourists clicking pictures. But Covid has taken everything away. The Beach Road is vacant and has become a haven for stray dogs. Livelihoods have been hit badly and we don’t know how long we can hold on, living off our savings,” Bridget says.
She also rued that nearly all the money she saved from last year is over. “We are now scraping the very bottom of the barrel. Even for buying bare essentials, we require money. Where will that come from in this scenario?” she sighs. From August 1, Fort Kochi has reported around 165 Covid positive cases, a number that is still increasing. “We have separated each ward in Fort Kochi with ropes so that no unnecessary movement takes place,” says a police officer.
“Essential commodities are supplied to those in quarantine. Shops selling essentials like grocery are allowed to open from 9am to 1pm, and social distancing is imposed in markets. Police personnel patrol the area regularly on bikes and also check on those in quarantine.” Hundreds of residents used to travel to the city from Fort Kochi for work by road and ferries. This has been hit too, making things hard for Fort Kochi’s people. “I used to travel almost 16km from my home to Ernakulam (Kochi city limits) daily,” said James Augustine, who works as a sales executive in a shop in the city.
“Now the job itself seems uncertain. It has been almost a month since the shop closed down, and the curfew forbids us from going out,” he says. Zeenath Rasheed, councillor of ward 2 in Fort Kochi, said people’s representatives from the area have raised their concerns with the district collector and Minister V S Sunil Kumar, who is in charge of Covid containment activities in Ernakulam district. “Shops remaining closed and curfew prevailing in the entire area are making life difficult for people in less affected wards as well. Giving relaxations for such wards will be helpful,” she said.
MEASURES TO BRING RELIEF
Minister V S Sunil Kumar in the review meeting held on Friday evaluated the Covid situation in West Kochi. A decision has been taken to relax the cluster containment strategy as a whole. Rather than considering entire wards in Fort Kochi as part of containment, micro-containment zones will be segregated in those wards or areas with high number of cases. Earlier, demands were raised by merchants’ associations and some ward members in Fort Kochi to ease the restrictions imposed at least in those wards where the cases are relatively less. This might be a relief for residents of the island town.