TOI

NEW DELHI: The Andaman Nicobar Islands had on April 16 reported recovery of its all then 11 positive COVID-19 cases, but the Union Territory (UT) has, thereafter, reported 18 new positive cases in the past seven days with 11 of them being detected within 48 hours — a serious concern among islanders who have seen this surge despite strict enforcement of lockdown.In fact, all 18 new cases are traced to only one family and its contacts at Bambooflat - a town in south Andaman.The first fresh case was reported during door-to-door verification and thereafter more and more people turning positive since April 17.Responding to suggestion of more test in the A&N Islands, chief secretary Chetan Sanghi on Thursday tweeted, saying the UT was currently test 5500 per ten lakh population, as compared to under 350 pan India.“The UT’s civil and police administration are trying their best to contain the spread of COVID-19. People are also cooperating. Since new cases are traced only to Bambooflat, the entire town is being monitored strictly,” said MP from A&N Islands, Kuldeep Rai Sharma Sharma, who himself kept under home quarantine for two weeks after returning to Port Blair from Delhi where he was there to attend Parliament session last month, toldthat all roads to protected areas - home of aborigines such as Onges, Jarawas, Sentineleses and Shompens among others - had been completely sealed when the UT reported first case in March.Even police chief of A&N Islands,Dependra Pathak, had earlier told TOI about how all such areas were being protected under “strict institutional mechanism” so that none from the mainland can go even close to the highly protected areas in the wake of reporting of COVID-19 positive cases in the UT.Asked about identity of positive cases, an official said the protocol did not allow us to reveal identities. “I can only tell you that the news cases emerged from one town and are linked to a family. They are either part of that family in Bambooflat or their contacts”.He said we had already imposed restrictions in the area and put nearly 200 people under home quarantine in south Andaman.