VIJAYAWADA: A day after the announcement of the first covid-19 death in the state, panic gripped residents of Kummaripalem, from where the 55-year-old patient hailed, under Bhavanipuram police station limits in Vijayawada.
The incident also worked to create awareness as more residents volunteered for testing on Friday and Saturday.
Earlier, many were hesitant to undergo tests for coronavirus even when health workers and police approached them after identification of the attendees of the Tablighi Jamaat meet in Delhi.
“The incident has brought a change in the way we perceived the disease. We believed that the virus will only attack those who roam around without protective gear. But this incident has shocked us to the core and now we are following all the rules suggested by the State government. We are using face masks and following social distancing even with our family members,” said K Rajesh. Reportedly, more than 100 from the locality voluntarily opted for testing at the quarantine centre in the APSRTC Hospital, Vidyadharapuram over the past two days.
All of them are the attendees’ contacts, relatives, friends and neighbours. “We’ve been trying to explain the family [of the deceased] about the gravity of the situation. However, they did not take us seriously. If the deceased’s son, who visited Delhi for the religious congregation in Delhi, would have voluntarily admitted himself to the quarantine centre, the entire situation could have been avoided,” remarked Bhavanipuram circle inspector DKN Mohan Reddy.
Explaining the efforts by the Bhavanipuram police in creating awareness among the residents of Vidyadharapuram, CI Mohan Reddy added: “Convincing the public and religious heads to heed to our suggestions was not an easy task. At a time when we were worried about the health of the deceased’s family, his son and others revolted against us. They got angry when they were requested to give us their blood and swab samples. Now the situation is under control as we took extreme care while burying the body. The public are much more aware now.”