For First Time in 77 Years, Andaman and Nicobar Islands Cut-Off From The World Over Coronavirus Fears

Kolkata: For the first time since the national flag was hoisted at Port Blair by Subhash Chandra Bose on December 30, 1943, Andaman & Nicobar Islands have been completely cut off from the rest of the world for ‘non-residents’ and ‘mainland people’.

The lockdown is in place from March 22 till further orders from the administration.

As per the administration, only emergency cases will be allowed to enter the islands with prior permission from Deputy Commissioner of South Andaman. Such restrictions were not put in place even during the 2004 tsunami.

A letter issued by Asha Chaudhary Malhotra, Director of Civil Aviation, reads, “In order to secure the islands from COVID-19 and to augment the measures that have been taken to prevent the entry of suspected/infected Coronavirus cases into the islands, the competent authority in Andaman and Nicobar administration has decided to restrict the entry of individuals who are normally not residents of the islands from March 22, 2020, except with the prior approval of the Deputy Commissioner (South Andaman).”

Meanwhile, as the world struggled with the pandemic, the tribal welfare department in Andaman has taken extra precautionary measures for the welfare of the tribes and tourists in the archipelago.

Secretary Tourism, Sanjeev Kumar Mittal said, “We have six tribes in Andaman and Nicobar Islands including Great Andamanese, the Jarawas, the Onge, the Shompen, and the Nicobarese, the Sentinelese. Unlike the others, the Sentinelese doesn’t have any contact with the outside world.”

He said that although work was done for the welfare of these tribes throughout the year, extra precaution is being taken due to the COVID-19 outbreak.

Government staff was asked to not visit tribal areas if they displayed any symptoms of COVID-19 and the administration reduced the number of vehicles passing through tribal reserves, he explained.

“As of now, there is nothing to panic about as the administration has taken several steps for the welfare of the local people, tribes and the tourists,” Mittal said.

All tourist attractions on the islands such as on jetties, beaches, eco-tourism sites and water sports activities have been suspended till March 26. All tour operators were asked to forewarn travellers and advise them to refrain from travelling to the Andaman and Nicobar Islands.