Patna: An old habit of rubbing tobacco on one’s palm and sharing it with friends has left at least 38 villagers infected with the deadly coronavirus in Bihar. The state reported 485 Covid-19 cases until Sunday, according to the latest report from the state Health Department.
Officials said at least 38 villagers have contracted the virus after chatting amongst themselves and sharing tobacco at Naya Bhojpur village in Buxur district where the total number of cases has climbed to 52. In view of the seriousness of the situation, the authorities have sealed the areas concerned and launched a massive sanitisation drive to check the virus from spreading further.
Quarantined
“Our tracking has found that the villagers contracted the disease while sitting on a platform outside a temple, playing cards and sharing tobacco. We have quarantined those who have tested positive, while test reports of 130 others are still awaited,” Arvind Kumar, the local Deputy Development Commissioner, said on Sunday.
Aman Samir, the Buxur District Magistrate, said initially a 35-year-old youth and a 67-year-old man from the same locality were found infected with COVID-19. Soon, the old man’s daughter and her husband also tested positive and they eventually transmitted the virus to the other members of their extended family and some neighbours as well.
Currently, Buxur ranks second among the hot-spots in Bihar with as many as 54 cases reported from this district. Munger remains on top with 95 positive cases.
Although the state government has banned spitting on the streets in Bihar, tobacco chewing is yet to be banned. According to a report, 25.9 per cent of the population of Bihar chews tobacco, of which, 23.5 per cent consume smokeless tobacco. A survey on global tobacco consumption says 4.2 per cent of the people of Bihar also smoke ‘bidi’, a thin cigarette-like substance stuffed with tobacco flakes and commonly wrapped in what is locally known as a Tendu (bauhinia racemosa) leaf and held together by tying a string around it.
