Warangal : Villages sans coronavirus

Warangal : Hard to believe, but it's true. At a time the omnipresence of coronavirus continues to ravage, still there are a few villages in the erstwhile Warangal district left untouched by the deadly virus. It didn't happen by chance, but the discipline and the perseverance of the people put them on safer side in a nation that has nearly 25 million reported cases.

Bhavurdagonda under Gangaram mandal in Mahabubabad district is one a few villages that have not recorded a single Covid-19 case in the first wave and as well as in the ongoing second wave. The villagers resolved to adhere to the coronavirus etiquette – wearing masks and maintaining physical distancing.

Donakonda, a tiny hamlet that was recently upgraded to gram panchayat under Dantalapally mandal, stands upright after learning lessons from the first wave. In the first wave, nearly 25 cases were reported. The return of those who migrated to other places to make a living triggered the spread of the virus. Since then, the village didn't register a single Covid-19 case. Thanks to the villagers' resolve. Currently, Donkonda is the only panchayat in Dantalapally mandal that sans coronavirus.

Another village, Gollapalle under Devaruppula mandal, which said 'no' to Covid-19 in this second wave. Its sarpanch K Subhashini ensured every measure to stop the spread of virus. Besides following Covid-19 guidelines, the villagers focused on hygiene and cleanliness.

Several villages in Bayyaram mandal – Kistapuram, Motlagudem, Tekulagudem, Ramannapet, Jagni Thanda etc – are also without coronavirus positive cases. The main reason behind it was the villagers seldom venture out of their habitations.

The tribes of Bayyakkapet under Tadvai mandal in Mulugu district have a rare record that they don't even wear masks. The resolve of the residents is that they neither allow arrivals or departures from the village. All the ceremonies were restricted to their village boundaries, says Sarpanch Gurram Rama.

"Together we can achieve anything. Though the aforesaid villages are small, they proved that united we can make impossible possible," Dr Srinivas Ramaka, a renowned cardiologist in Warangal, told The Hans India. It's high time for the people to think about these villages that sans Covid-19 cases and make amends to their mundane routine life and stick to the coronavirus etiquette, he said.