KENDRAPARA: A pall of gloom descended on Durgadevipada village under Rajkanika police limits in Kendrapara after a 26-year-old man died of Covid-19 on Saturday, five days after his marriage.
Sanjay Kumar Nayak from the village worked in a private company in Bangalore and had returned home on May 7 as his wedding was scheduled on May 10 with a girl of nearby Deulasahi village.
Nayak experienced severe fever and cold before his wedding but the families went ahead with the ceremony fearing heavy financial losses upon cancellation of the same. Three days into the marriage, Nayak tested positive for the virus and was advised to be in-home isolation.
“When his condition deteriorated on Saturday night, his family members decided to take him to Bhubaneswar but he succumbed on the way,” informed Dr. Bibek Rout, medical officer of the CHC.
After his death, a medical team rushed to Durgadevipada on Sunday and collected samples of five family members. Contact tracing is on for other attendees of the wedding.
The village already has a medical camp to conduct Covid testing. Another migrant death in the district has raised questions on the efficacy of the administration that is unable to check the spread of infection among locals in such cases.
“They live in small houses at their workplaces with poor sanitation and limited access to potable water and proper healthcare. They are the most vulnerable who are now suffering,” said Jagajiban Das, a trade union leader.