As many as five members of the endangered Great Andamanese tribe in the Andaman and Nicobar Islands have tested positive for the novel coronavirus pandemic.
Two of them have reportedly been admitted to hospital, while the remaining have been quarantined in a care centre.
Dr Avijit Roy, who is the nodal officer-in-charge of coronavirus in Andaman and Nicobar Islands, told India Today: "They have no symptoms, they are absolutely fine and out of danger. We have got them to Port Blair and have kept in isolation at a separate wing in the hospital."
"They were all very cooperative," Dr Roy said.
Covid reaches the Andaman Islands
The coronavirus cases were reported when officials from the health department carried out universal RT-PCR test on all members of the tribe.
The health officials and emergency workers rode the choppy sea water in boats to the island a week back to test the tribe in one day.
It is said that the Greater Andamanese tribe, who have been Categorised as Particularly Vulnerable Tribal Group (PVTG) by the govt, are believed to have a population of about 50-60 people. They live on -- the Strait Island -- one of the 37 populated islands in the coral reef-fringed archipelago.
As per reports, the tribal group has modified its lifestyle and a few of them are even employed in government departments working in Port Blair.
However, nobody is allowed to meet the remote tribe except for government officials deployed in the region.
Meanwhile, Andaman and Nicobar islands have detected 2,985 Covid-19 cases and 41 fatalities so far since its first case was detected in early June.
