The advisory to Kodagu coffee planters by the Health Department authorities to avoid bringing new workers from Kerala in the wake of the novel coronavirus (nCoV) scare is likely to have some impact on coffee picking activities.
In about 10-15 days, the pepper harvesting season would also commence and go on till April. These activities require a sizeable number of workers with a large cultivable area to cover.
Movement of workers between the borders has been a practice in the area. What difference it has made this time is the advisory after Kerala reported three confirmed cases of the virus and the border districts in the State, including Kodagu, had been kept on high alert, stepping up the surveillance.
Precautions
However, the planters were learnt to have resolved to comply with the health advisory and take precautions as recommended. “We are supporting the steps taken and cooperating with the district administration as well as the district health authorities,” said Vishwanath, Member, Codagu Planters’ Association, Madikeri.
Speaking to The Hindu over phone, the CPA member said the estates get migrant workers from Tamil Nadu and also from North Indian States in addition to Kerala. Usually, they (workers) stay put in the estates until the harvesting season gets over. “Workers belonging to towns in neighbouring Kerala sometimes go to their places and return. In the wake of the directive, we have told them not to make unnecessary visits and remain in the estates, taking precautions,” he said.
Harvesting of Robusta coffee is underway in Kodagu, Mr. Vishwanath added.
Surveillance on border
Meanwhile, the health authorities in Kodagu have urged the people living on the border not to travel to Kerala unless it’s indispensable. The advisory had been given as a precaution in view of the nCoV scare.
“It’s practically impossible to stop the people from paying visits to Kerala but we are sensitising them on why they are being advised against going to the neighbouring State if there was no urgent situation. The steps are meant not to create panic but educate them to be cautious and take essential precautions,” said Kodagu DHO K. Mohan.
Medical teams had been deployed at Makutta, Kutta and Karike on the inter-state border. The gram panchayats of these places had lent support to the Health Department in reaching out to the households with pamphlets on dos and don’ts.
“Our teams are educating the travelling public since many travel to the bordering towns in Kerala for work. We are not carrying out mass screening but checking history of people having cold, cough, fever etc., on whether they had been to China or to 23 coronavirus-affected countries. We look at whether they had been in contact with relatives or friends who had recently visited these countries. If they have a history, we treat them as suspected cases,” he explained.
So far, no suspected cases had been reported in Kodagu.
On the advisory to coffee planters on keeping workers from Kerala in estates, the DHO said, “It’s an appeal from us and we hope they will comply with it as we are told many labourers from Kerala are brought to the coffee plantations in Kodagu during the harvesting season.”
