Odisha finding difficult to convince tribals to go for COVID-19 test

Officials fear delay in screening the community would make matters worse

As cases of COVID-19 are rising among the particularly vulnerable tribal groups (PVTGs), the response teams in Odisha have come across a peculiar problem — convincing them to get tested. A team comprising senior administrative officer and doctors kept chasing Dongria Kondhs, a PVTG, in the Niyamgiri Hill Range all through the day on Monday, but none from the tribes was ready to undergo test. Officials fear the delay in screening the community would make matters worse. At Pakeri village under Kalyansinghpur block of Rayagada district, 13 of the 16 persons had tested positive in rapid antigen tests. As of now, 23 Dongria Kondhs are found to be infected.