<p>Bhosi, a village of 6,000 people in the Bhokar tehsil of Nanded, has set an example of how to break the Covid-19 chain.</p>.<p>Two months ago, after a wedding ceremony, a girl from the village was found infected with coronavirus. Later, five more patients were found to be positive the following week, which led to a commotion in the whole village.</p>.<p>At this time, a Zilla Parishad member Prakash Deshmukh Bhosikar took the initiative to organise a health camp in the village in coordination with the Gram Panchayat and the Health Department to conduct Covid tests. </p>.<p>Rapid Antigen Test and RT-PCR tests that followed revealed that 119 people were Covid-19 positive.</p>.<p>“It was decided to isolate the patients to break the chain of Covid-19 spreading to others. Accordingly, all the infected people were persuaded to go and live on their fields for a period of 15-17 days, as mandated by the guidelines of the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare for people with mild infections. Farm labourers and others who did not own farms, were accommodated in a makeshift 40x 60 shed on Bhosikar’s own farm,” Bhosikar said.</p>.<p>Ashatai, the village health worker and Anganwadi sevika, would visit the fields everyday and interact with the patients. </p>.<p>Food and medicines were also provided on the spot. After 15 to 20 days of isolation, the villagers returned home as Covid-19 negative persons only after a health check-up.</p>.<p>“Separation is the only way to save the villagers from getting infected,” says Lakshmibai Akkemwad, who spent a fortnight in quarantine on the fields.</p>.<p>In a press statement issued by PIB, Nanded Zilla Parishad CEO Varsha Thakur Ghuge said that the Bhosi pattern is a good example of joint coordination between the villagers, people's representatives and the administration, worthy of implementation in other villages of the district and elsewhere.</p>.<p>"A month and a half has passed since then and no new patient has been found in the village. Covid can be fought effectively by adopting the age-old path of isolation - as was being done during the days of plague - even in villages without adequate health facilities," added Bhosikar. </p>
<p>Bhosi, a village of 6,000 people in the Bhokar tehsil of Nanded, has set an example of how to break the Covid-19 chain.</p>.<p>Two months ago, after a wedding ceremony, a girl from the village was found infected with coronavirus. Later, five more patients were found to be positive the following week, which led to a commotion in the whole village.</p>.<p>At this time, a Zilla Parishad member Prakash Deshmukh Bhosikar took the initiative to organise a health camp in the village in coordination with the Gram Panchayat and the Health Department to conduct Covid tests. </p>.<p>Rapid Antigen Test and RT-PCR tests that followed revealed that 119 people were Covid-19 positive.</p>.<p>“It was decided to isolate the patients to break the chain of Covid-19 spreading to others. Accordingly, all the infected people were persuaded to go and live on their fields for a period of 15-17 days, as mandated by the guidelines of the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare for people with mild infections. Farm labourers and others who did not own farms, were accommodated in a makeshift 40x 60 shed on Bhosikar’s own farm,” Bhosikar said.</p>.<p>Ashatai, the village health worker and Anganwadi sevika, would visit the fields everyday and interact with the patients. </p>.<p>Food and medicines were also provided on the spot. After 15 to 20 days of isolation, the villagers returned home as Covid-19 negative persons only after a health check-up.</p>.<p>“Separation is the only way to save the villagers from getting infected,” says Lakshmibai Akkemwad, who spent a fortnight in quarantine on the fields.</p>.<p>In a press statement issued by PIB, Nanded Zilla Parishad CEO Varsha Thakur Ghuge said that the Bhosi pattern is a good example of joint coordination between the villagers, people's representatives and the administration, worthy of implementation in other villages of the district and elsewhere.</p>.<p>"A month and a half has passed since then and no new patient has been found in the village. Covid can be fought effectively by adopting the age-old path of isolation - as was being done during the days of plague - even in villages without adequate health facilities," added Bhosikar. </p>