At least one member in each fishermen family at Kothapatnam Pallepalem had contracted COVID-19, and some of them succumbed to the virus during its second wave.
Now most of the fishermen have won the battle against the virus and are gearing up to set sail for fishing in the sea as normalcy has almost returned to the village in Kothapatnam mandal, thanks to the containment strategy effectively implemented there by the health professionals with the active involvement of sarpanch Vishwanathapalli Anand.
The fishermen will resume fishing from Monday, thanks to further relaxation of the partial curfew by the authorities.
They had seen worst situations in the high seas in the past. But they managed to overcome the crises without fear.
They dread the pandemic more than the tsunami as most of the villagers were infected by the virus, requiring stern steps to overcome the crisis, said the sarpanch.
“No fisherman was allowed to work in the salt pans or farms outside the village during the fishing holiday, and no outsider was let into the village even for visiting their relatives,” said Mr. Anand in a conversation with The Hindu .
The compensation of ₹10,000 provided by the State government as also rice and pulses came in handy for the fishermen to pull on during the tough time, said Mr. Anand.
He has taken up with the Fisheries Department the cause of 40 fishermen, who could not get the aid for, among other reasons, non-linking of mobile phone with the Aadhaar card.
The health workers monitored the condition of the infected persons every day in the village that has a population of about 6,000 and provided them medical kit.
ASHA and ANMs shifted those whose oxygen level fell to Ongole for better treatment.
“Still 30 fishermen are down with the virus. They are responding well to the treatment and on the road to recovery,” said Mr. Anand.
The fishermen are now busy mending the fishing nets and overhauling the motorised boats, and hope for a good catch this season.
