Adherence to lockdown keep Daman and Diu coronavirus free

The Daman and Diu districts of the Union Territory of Dadra and Nagar Haveli have not reported any COVID-19 case so far, and the administration has attributed this to strict implementation of the lockdown orders and commitment of 'corona warriors'.

There are nearly 2.5 lakh industrial workers in Daman and Diu, which are also quite popular among tourists, the Union Territory's administrator Praful Patel said on Sunday.

Despite bordering Gujarat and being close to Maharashtra, two of the worst affected states, Daman and Diu have remained free of the viral disease so far because public followed the lockdown guidelines, he said.

While Dadra and Nagar Haveli has reported 19 COVID-19 cases, there has been no case so far in Daman and Diu.

"We have managed to achieve this success because our 'corona warriors' worked with full commitment. We succeeded in making people adhere to the lockdown for 75 days. We managed to have zero cases in Daman and Diu because people followed the lockdown with full commitment," Patel said.

However, authorities remain alert as the Union Territory lies close to Gujarat and Maharashtra. According to the data provided by the health department of the Union Territory, as many as 17,965 samples have been tested so far for COVID-19, including 12,130 in Dadra and Nagar Haveli, 4,723 in Daman and 1,112 in Diu.

Of these, 19 samples from Dadra and Nagar Haveli have so far tested positive for coronavirus, but none from Daman and Diu, a health official said, adding that results of 1,039 samples are awaited.

As many as 6,026 people, including 3,444 in Dadra and Nagar Haveli, 977 in Daman, and 1,605 in Diu, were kept under quarantine and completed the mandatory period, he said.

As of now, 2,290 people are still under quarantine, the official added. "We have collected samples of people with travel history, those showing symptoms, and also random samples as per the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) guidelines," the Union Territory's programme officer for communicable diseases Meghal Shah said.

"Travels were restricted during the lockdown, and we screened and collected samples of each and every person travelling to Daman, Diu or Silvassa. Now, with the lockdown being eased, people can enter the border through checkpost only with a valid e-pass," he said.