The coronavirus pandemic has been taking a toll on the entire global community and perhaps no community in the world can be spared its fateful spread. Local authorities have remained very concerned off late as five staffers of the Andaman Adim Janjati Vikas Samiti (AAJVS) have tested positive for coronavirus.
This is a matter of concern because the authorities feel that the members of the Jarawa tribe have become vulnerable to the infection. It is for this reason that even the field office of the AAJVS has been closed down.
The staff who tested coronavirus positive are under medical care and the process of contact tracing is underway. The body works on the welfare and needs of the various indigenous tribes of India especially the Jarawas and informs and advices the government on policies to protect them.
The authorities are now concerned as the spread of the virus among the officials may have exposed even the vulnerable Jarawa community to the virus. The total population of the Jarawas is close to 480 according to records from 2018 by the Administration of Andaman and Nicobar Islands.
