Concerned over rising cases of Covid-19 in rural areas, Jharkhand chief minister Hemant Soren held a virtual meeting with panchayat representatives on Thursday to evaluate the ground situation in villages in order to prepare an action plan.

Since April, most rural districts have started to report a triple-digit spike of Covid cases on a daily basis in addition to a few deaths.

Addressing over 4,000 panchayat representatives from various districts, Hemant said, “We are constantly taking feedback to know the ground situation so that we can prepare proper plans in our fight against Covid-19. Based on your inputs, we shall proceed further.”

He also appealed to the panchayat representatives to become "brand ambassadors" of Covid appropriate behavior so others in the area could be motivated to abide by norms and help in curbing the transmission of the virus. He asked them to function as the eyes and ears of the local district administration for better coordination.

One of the biggest issues raised by several panchayat representatives during the three-hour meeting was lack of testing facilities in remote areas. “Migrant workers are returning to their homes in villages from everywhere but there is no system of tracking and testing them. This is resulting into an outbreak of Covid in villages this time. Last year, government ensured proper testing and containment measures,” said a panchayat representative from Garhwa.

His counterparts from Dumka agreed, saying most peple had no idea where to go for testing. “In many areas, people have to walk miles to get to the nearest testing lab as a result of which many don’t go. In most cases, people suffering from cough, cold, fever think that it is normal. This needs to be addressed instantly,” said a panchayat representative from Dumka.

He also asked for quarantine centres to be set up at panchayat/block levels similar to last year to ensure better monitoring of suspected cases.

Jharkhand Janadhikar Manch (JJM), a conglomeration of rights organisations, asked the state government to conduct a special testing drive across rural areas to identify patients and extend treatment.

“We demand distribution of medical kits, quick testing and diagnosis, enforcement of home isolation norms and surveillance in a proper way on immediate basis,” the manch said in a statement.