No fresh COVID-19 case in Andamans;authorities enforcing strict coronavirus guidelines

The coronavirus tally in the Union Territory remained at 4,948, while a total of 62 people have died so far due to the contagion, he said.Two persons were cured of the disease since Monday, taking the total number of recoveries in the archipelago to 4,848, the official said.

After months of steady rise in coronavirus cases, good news came for Andaman and Nicobar Islands with not a single fresh COVID-19 case reported in the last 24 hours, a health department official said on Tuesday. The coronavirus tally in the Union Territory remained at 4,948, while a total of 62 people have died so far due to the contagion, he said.

Two persons were cured of the disease since Monday, taking the total number of recoveries in the archipelago to 4,848, the official said. The Union Territory now has 38 active cases.

The Andaman and Nicobar administration has conducted 1,86,140 sample tests for COVID-19 so far, and the positivity rate stands at 2.66 per cent, he added. The news of zero coronavirus case are encouraging as the picturesque islands, a major tourists destination, has been witnessing arrival of journeymakers by air and also through sea routes.

Andaman and Nicobar islands consist of a series of islands known as an archipelago. Archipelagos are by the Bay of Bengal between India leading towards the west and Northeast part in Myanmar.

The Union Territory consists of more than 500 islands all over, but inhabitants are found mostly in 36 islands. The islands known for its dazzling beauty remained coronavirus-free as late as middle of June last year.

But, since detection of two cases of infection on June 10, the virus kept spreading in the islands. Andaman and Nicobar Islands reported its first COVID-19 death of a 49-year-old patient on July 27 last. Since, then along with increase in positivity, the tally of fatalities also showed a rising trend reaching 62 now.

With the islands opening to the tourists and resumption of daily economic activities, the adminstration has been observing strict COVID protocols to contain spread of the virus. Official sources said anybody arriving by flights or reaching by ships from Kolkata or Chennai are mandatorily required to show a negative coronavirus report before the authorities letting them enter the islands.

Besides, a fine of Rs 2000 is imposed on anybody found moving without face mask in Port Blair and other places in the UT, they said. The civil and police officials have also launched a vigorous awareness drive against COVID-19 as safety protocols against the deadly disease, the sources said.