E-Paper
Bihar orders testing of all arriving from Bengal, vigil beefed up along border
West Bengal on May 25 reported a positivity rate of 25.7% as against 2.3% reported in Bihar. In Bihar there are 35,130 active cases and 4746 people have so far lost their lives due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
Bihar has stepped up vigil along the borders of West Bengal in the wake of a surge in Covid-19 cases in the neighbouring state. All the four districts-- Katihar, Araria, Kishanganj and Purnia –known as Seemanchal share their border with Bengal.
The step has been initiated following instructions from chief minister Nitish Kumar who on Tuesday instructed officials to conduct Covid-19 tests of passengers coming to the state by trains and buses from Bengal, which has a much higher positivity rate.
West Bengal on May 25 reported a positivity rate of 25.7% as against 2.3% reported in Bihar. In Bihar there are 35,130 active cases and 4746 people have so far lost their lives due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
The CM instructed the administration after conducting a high-level meeting on the Covid-19 situation with health department officials as well as DMs. He stressed on aggressive testing for the infection in rural areas.
All the four district magistrates (DMs) of Seemanchal have been asked to keep strict surveillance on the people coming from West Bengal.
“We are testing people at almost all the points adjoining West Bengal including at Dalkhola checkpoint on NH-31,” Purnia DM Rahul Kumar said adding, “Besides, health officials and panchayat representatives have been asked to keep an eye on the people coming from Bengal.”
Health officials in Seemanchal districts are deeply concerned as people of two states and their villages hardly make any difference especially along the border areas. “People from Bengal villages often come to the village markets (haats) in Bihar and vice versa for shopping and it is impossible to keep a watch over them,” Ranjit Kumar a social activist based in Kishanganj said fearing the wave in the neighbouring state would badly affect the rural populace in Seemanchal in the coming days.
Seemanchal districts which witnessed a record rise in Covid-19 positive cases in the second wave with over 300 deaths, has registered a dip in confirmed cases recently.
Purnia civil surgeon Dr S K Verma said, “Our testing teams are visiting all the villages adjacent to West Bengal besides they are testing at various places on the road and train routes to West Bengal.”
Katihar DM Udyan Mishra and Kishanganj DM Aditya Prakash have asked testing teams to remain alert on all the routes which lead to West Bengal.
