Pandal hoppers returning to Jamshedpur from Adityapur were in for a surprise before being allowed back in the steel city on Ashtami night on Saturday: on-the-spot Covid tests.
A team of health department officials from East Singhbhum, including city SP Subhash Chandra Jat, conducted surprise rapid antigen tests on people as they drove down Kharkai bridge that connects the steel city with the town in adjoining Seraikela-Kharsawan district.
People were asked to get down from their cars and bikes for the tests during the drive which began at 8pm and continued for over three hours. During the time, around 150 people, men, women and children, were made to undergo rapid antigen test. Reports were made available within 15 minutes on the mobile phones of those who underwent the test.
Of the 150, only one per son tested positive. "The patient belonged to Adityapur. He was immediately sent to a Covid hospital in Jamshedpur for treatment," said a health department official.
As soon as news of the surprise Covid tests spread, the rush of pandal hoppers heading for Jairam Youth Sporting Club in Adityapur reduced. Of all the pandals, the one put up by the club whose patron is Arvind Singh, a former MLA of Ichagarh, drew considerable crowds on Ashtami night.
The 10-feet-tall idol of Goddess Durga was the centre of attraction. The rest of the pujas in the steel city (around 320 ) were a low-key affair with simple pandals.
Civil surgeon of East Singhbhum R.N. Jha said, "Surprise tests were carried out to detect cases and avert the possibility of another wave of infection in the district."
So far, East Singhbhum district has reported close to 16,000 cases with 328 deaths, the highest in the state. But in the past one week, cases have reduced in the district as the rate of infection has come down. On Saturday, 48 positive cases were reported out of 1,745 tested people. Significantly, East Singhbhum had reported an all-time high of 326 positive cases on September 9.
Jamshedpur Durga Puja Kendriya Samiti (JDPKS), the apex body of puja organisers, welcomed the surprise test initiative. “Covid tests on Kharkai bridge should continue on Navami too. These will achieve two objectives —check the flow of crowds into the city and also identify potential virus carriers,” said Ram Babu Singh, general secretary of the Puja apex body.
Singh also expressed dismay over the fact that despite standing instructions and state government’s guidelines people were found violating Covid protocols in several pandals on Maha Ashtami. "We have noted this and have asked these puja committees to deal strictly with pandal hoppers defying Covid rules on Navami, " added Singh.