The Great Andamanese tribe, whose population is just over 50 in the Union Territory, has been struck by COVID-19, with 10 of its members testing positive for the virus. Health authorities had sent a team to Strait Island after six members of the tribe contracted the virus in Port Blair recently. Four other contracted the virus in remote locations. The tribe members travel between their homes and Port Blair, and they are expected to have contracted the virus in the process.
Andaman and Nicobar Islands' COVID-19 tally stood at 2,985, while 2,309 people have recovered from the disease. The remote archipelago has so far recorded 41 coronavirus deaths.
Now, the biggest worry will be about the vulnerable tribes in the area like the Jarawas, North Sentinelese and Shompen. The first two tribes—Jarawas and the North Sentinelese—still lead a secluded life, and outsiders are forbidden from the island.
In 2018, a US citizen John Allen Chau died after attempting to land on the North Sentinelese island. On November 16, Chau, with the help of some fishermen reached closed to the island, from where he travelled in his own canoe. The tribe attacked him with bow and arrow before dragging him to the beach, after which the fishermen lost sight of him.
-Inputs from agencies
