Much before bio-bubble became synonymous to safety in sport events, a tribal community in Kerala had introduced the concept in an effective way and, arguably, kept Covid-19 at bay. One of the most isolated tribal communities in Kerala, the Muthuvan tribes in Edamalakkudy in Idukki district have been following strict norms ever since Covid-19 began spreading in Kerala in March 2020.
Edamalakkudy was declared Kerala’s first tribal panchayat in 2010.
First, the tribal community has been keeping a strict vigil on outsiders' entry to the panchayat. Those going out to purchase essential items have been following quarantine norms. Though Kerala was the first state in the country to report the first Covid-19 case in January 2020, none among the 2,509 members of the tribe have so far shown any symptoms of the disease, health officials vouched.
Living in Isolation
One of the remotest panchayats in Kerala, Edamalakkudy is located 40 km away from the nearest town – Munnar. Road is motorable only till Pulmedu and an arduous 11 km trek is required to reach Societykudi, where the Edamalakkudy panchayat office is located.
Though authorities are puzzled over the effectiveness of COVID control measures by the community, they also confirmed that no mass testing has happened among them so far.
Idukki District Medical Officer (DMO) N Priya, however, added that they had conducted medical camps. No single symptomatic case, however, came to their notice.
“Antigen tests conducted on the deceased after the onset of the pandemic were negative. No deaths have happened in the recent months," she said.
The DMO said that officials from various government departments such as Revenue, Forest and Health, ensure RT-PCR negative results before visiting the panchayat for official purposes.
Oorukuttam Imposed Restrictions
As per the decision of Oorukoottam or tribal community gathering, the people of Edamalakkudy has been avoiding unnecessary visits outside panchayat limits for the last one year.
Recently, the panchayat council with the support of the local community beefed up activities to mitigate the second wave of the pandemic.
According to panchayat secretary R Varghese, a panchayat council convened on 29 April and decided to intensify strict vigil and isolate the local community from COVID-hit outside world.
Incidentally, a state-wide lockdown came into effect only a week later by 8 May to crush the second wave.
The Quint tried to contact panchayat president Eshwari Rajan, but could not be reached due to connectivity issues.
Adopted Modern Medical Practices
Meanwhile, the health department and district administration also began a discussion on the vaccination process in the panchayat. Sources in the health department said that Edamalakkudy was excluded from the list of panchayats when the initial phase of the vaccination drive began in panchayats in Idukki last month.
While a section argue that the Muduvan tribe members should be given vaccine shots before the spread of Covid in the area, others are of the opinion that other vulnerable groups should be given priority. DMO Priya said that though there were discussions regarding vaccination, no final decision was taken.
Health officials said that though the residents of this village do not strictly follow COVID control measures like use of masks when they are at Edamalakkudy, those who occasionally visit nearby places like Munnar diligently follow it.
Sources in the health department said that the community's efforts are commendable, especially considering the fact that the Muthuvan tribe is reluctant to adopt modern medicine. "They do not really co-operate even with the polio vaccination drive," commented a health worker.
Attending emergency health issues too is a tedious task due to the road connectivity gaps. Efforts to construct a public health centre at Edamalakkudy is in the final phase.
Edamalakkudy, which was earlier the 13th ward of the Munnar grama panchayat, was declared the first tribal panchayat in Kerala following the local body delimitation in 2010. Spread over 106 square kilometre area, there are around 28 kudis or tribal settlements in the village.
Of the total 2,509 members of the tribe, 1,227 are women. Considered as a community which migrated from Madhura, the Muthuvan people speak a mix of Tamil and Malayalam dialects. Farming being their main occupation, the tribe’s primary source of income comes from the sale of cardamom.
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