Odisha reports 24 new Covid cases, tally mounts to 294

(Eds: with fresh inputs)

Bhubaneswar, May 9 () Twenty-three Surat returneeswere among 24 people who tested positive for COVID-19 inOdisha on Saturday, taking the total cases in the state to294, the Health and Family Welfare department said.

Of the 24 fresh Covid cases, Ganjam reported 18, whilethree came from Mayurbhanj and one each from Nayagarh, Bhadrakand Sundergarh.

Nayagarh district reported its first novel coronaviruscase when a 40-year-old Surat returnee tested positive to thedisease. With this, the COVID-19 has now spread to19 of the 30districts of Odisha.

At present, there are 224 active cases in the stateand 68 people have recovered. Two people from Bhubaneswar havesuccumbed to the disease, an official said adding that 343persons are in hospital isolation.

The state health department had on Friday conducted3,348 tests for COVID-19, he said, adding that Odisha has sofar tested 56,322 samples.

As per an analysis by the department, 246 of thestate's total 294 cases have been reported from five districtsof Ganjam, Jajpur, Khurda, Balasore and Bhadrak.

Meanwhile, the Odisha government said it is proper tobring back Odias, mostly migrant workers, stranded in otherstates before a possible "mahasankraman" (mass infection) ofCovid-19 hits India after nationwide lockdown is lifted.

Odisha COVID-19 spokesperson Subroto Bagchijustified the state's decision to facilitate the return of thepeople stranded in different parts of the country due tolockdown since March 25.

Noting that some people in the state havereservations about the government's decision to bring back themigrant workers from highly infected states which led to asurge in the number of COVID cases in Odisha, Bagchi said: "Itis absolutely right from legal, humanitarian, moral, realisticand scientific basis. Is it not better to bring back the Odiasbefore a mahasankraman strikes the country in June or July?"

"It is a fact that the returnees are now adding tothe number of positive cases in the state. But all the casescame from quarantine centres where the returnees are kept. Itis a good sign that positive cases are coming from thequarantine centres and not from the community," Bagchi said.

Apart from migrant workers, the Covid spokespersonsaid, students, professionals, pilgrims and patients, are alsostranded in different places. AAM SKNNN NN