After quickly obliterating the virus threat from Wuhan, China, Kerala seems to be on the verge of extinguishing the flare-up that began with the arrival of a family from Italy late in February.
Daily status figures show fresh COVID-19 cases becoming increasingly rare. And with recoveries quickening as though Kerala has been secretly blessed, the number of active cases has dropped down to 30; this was a heart-stopping drop as only seven days ago the number was 111.
Government officials claim that in less than five days the remaining cases, too, would be cured and discharged.
Nonetheless, they concede that this “COVID-free” status would materialise only if Kerala's 're-entry' policy works according to plan.
Foreign returnees pose no hassle
There is no undue worry about Malayalis returning from foreign lands in planes and ships. “It is only in official, specially commissioned, aircraft and ships they can arrive here. So they can be quite methodically screened, segregated and quarantined,” a top health official said.
At least 80,000 Malayalis stuck in foreign lands, mostly in the Gulf, are expected to land in Kerala in the first phase of an evacuation project dubbed 'Vande Bharat'.
It is the return of Malayalis stranded in other states that could let loose the virus yet again in Kerala. Officially, they can enter their home state only through six routes, six check-posts: Inchivila in Thiruvananthapuram, Aryankavu in Kollam, Kumili in Idukki, Walayar in Palakkad, Muthanga in Wayanad and Manjeshwar in Kasaragod.
It is only a trickle that is flowing in now. Only those having a personal vehicle or with the wherewithal to hire a taxi or a larger multi-seater vehicle will be able to come. These vehicles will be intercepted at the check-posts, and the passengers will be subjected to a health screening before they are allowed to travel.
Secret pathways for the virus
Problem is, unlike the air and sea routes, ground travel opens up a lot of other possibilities. There are hidden forest roads and railway crossings that allow people to sneak into the Kerala border.
“Our fear is, thinking it would be difficult to get an e-pass, and also unwilling to go through the process required to get a digital pass, some would opt for the more adventurous option of taking these unconventional routes,” a top police officer now posted in Palakkad said.
Kerala's borders are porous, and there are innumerable routes through which the desperate could get in. “The desperate would also include the sick who are reluctant to reveal their condition,” the police official said.
A beast's eye view
If individuals sneak in this way, their names will not be in the government database. Essentially, they will remain hidden. They will also not be screened and, therefore, could pose a major health threat.
Realising the danger, the government and the local bodies have decided to monitor these secret paths more diligently than even the check-posts.
All wards scraping the borders have now formed 'jagrutha samithis' (vigilance committees) with members having, in the words of a panchayat president, “a beast's understanding of the area”. The committees include tribals, forest workers and railway track workers.
When railway line is the divider
“There are four or five paths that we consider could be used by people for the cross-border movement. We man these areas 24X7. There are certain stretches along the railway line that offers people an easy way to cross over. These areas are under constant watch,” said K Unnikrishnan, the president of Pudussery panchayat under which falls Walayar.
Once bitten, twice shy
Way down south in Aryankavu, they have already suffered the consequences of an illegal crossing. A 30-year-old man who had crossed from Tamil Nadu into Aryankavu using a forest path had later tested positive, and he has till now passed on the infection to three people, one of whom (73-year-old Padmanabhan of Kulathupuzha) had died.
“We have forest officials, forest guards and also policemen guarding these traditional routes through the forest. The 'jagrutha samithi' has identified all the routes that could be possibly taken and we have posted people in all these places. The men who had been posted have also been given a wireless so that they could inform the police the moment they detect some suspicious movement,” said Aryankavu ward member Thresiamma.
Dangerous consignment
After the lockdown, there were also instances of people hiding in inter-state trucks carrying essential goods to cross the border. “Now, these trucks are subjected to more severe checks to make sure no one enters the border unnoticed,” Thresiamma said.
Such elaborate and uncompromising checks have also stretched queues and waiting time to infuriating levels, especially at Walayar where the most number of vehicles have reported.
Kumily experiment
In Idukki, to make it easy for the policemen and also to reduce the rush, vehicles carrying stranded Malayalis from outside and trucks have been separated. Now, only vehicles carrying returning Malayalis pass through the Kumily check-post. Trucks carrying essential goods have now been asked to take the Kambammedu route where another set of policemen are posted solely to scan these trucks for stowaways.
In the other five check-posts, both trucks and returning Malayalis will have to pass through the same check-post. “The policemen in these areas will be over-burdened. We decided to separate these two categories in Kumily because we had found that many on the other side of the border were paying truck drivers money to secretly get them into Kerala,” said Shajimon, the ward member of Kollampattada in Kumily panchayat.
Commandos on treetops
In Wayanad's Muthanga, too, the 'jagrutha samithi' formed mainly of tribal activists in the area, has identified four secret forest paths that they are guarding zealously. “We have erected tree-top sheds to have a clear view of these paths, especially during nights. Three are posted in each shed, and they do shifts,” said Amaravati, a tribal ASHA worker.
The tree-top machans were erected by the middle of April when people were found sneaking into the border from the other side. “We took all we could nab to the quarantine centre at Muthanga. Some are still there while others have left and now observing strict quarantine in their homes,” Amaravati said.
