Andamanese tribe hit by Covid infection

Special Desk

Ten out of 50 among the Greater Andamanese, who are believed to have a population of just over 50, and mostly live on one of the 37 islands in the coral reef-fringed archipelago, have tested positive for covid-19 infection.

Andamans is home to five vulnerable tribes: the Jarawas, North Sentinelese, Great Andamanese, Onge and Shompen.

Four of them living on a remote island were found to be infected last week, and six others who lived in a city tested positive earlier. Eastern archipelago of Andamans and Nicobar has recorded 2,985 Covid-19 cases and 41 deaths since its first infection was detected in early June.

Health and emergency workers rode the choppy sea water in boats to the island last week to test the tribe. Two of the infected members of the tribe have been admitted to hospital, while the remaining two have been quarantined.

A health worker said six other members of the tribe who had “been living and working in the city for a long time” had been found to be infected with the virus last month. They have recovered from the disease.

Many of the tribe’s members travel between Port Blair and their secluded island, and may have contracted the infection in the process, he said. A few tribe members even do petty jobs in the city.

Among the Jarawas, North Sentinelese, Great Andamanese, Onge and Shompen, the Jarawas and the North Sentinelese haven’t integrated with the mainstream population yet. The North Sentinelese are hostile to outsiders, and no-one is allowed on their island. In 2018, a US citizen John Allen Chau, was shot dead with bows and arrows as he attempted to land there.

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According to London-based Survival International, which works for tribal peoples’ rights, the Greater Andamanese numbered more than 5,000 when the British colonised the islands in the 1850s. Suffering from the long term impact of the diseases introduced by the occupation, their numbers dwindled.

Andamans has two hospitals, three health centres and 10 care centres for treating Covid-19 patients. They also have one of the highest testing rates in India. Tribes in Brazil and Peru have been hit by Covid-19. Over 280 indigenous people have died with coronavirus across Brazil’s Amazon region.