Odisha rushes response teams, experts as 3 north districtsemerge as new COVID-19 hotspots
The move comes after Balasore, Bhadrak and Jajpur districts reported a spurt in COVID-19 cases. Of the 79 COVID-19 cases detected in the state so far, these three districts have together reported 23 cases. As many as 17 new cases were reported in the last 48 hours, a senior official said.
While Bhadrak and Balasore have reported eight cases each, seven COVID-19 cases were detected in Jajpur.
The total number of novel coronavirus cases from the three districts was just five two days ago, an official pointed out.
Keeping in view the spike in the positive cases from the three districts, Health and Family Welfare Secretary N B Dhal Tuesday directed experts from medical colleges, senior health officers and state Rapid Response Teams (RRTs) to oversee containment measures there, an official statement said.
The department has also assigned specific districts to senior officials.
While the director of health services has been rushed to Balasore district, the director of public health will look after Bhadrak and the director of family welfare has been given charge of Jajpur district.
This apart, Dhal also directed three state RRTs to rush to these districts.
While the SCB Medical College Hospital in Cuttack will provide technical support in Jajpur district, the Fakir Mohan Medical College Hospital has been supporting the measures in Balasore and Bhadrak districts.
Director General of Police Abhay is also scheduled to visit Balasore and Baripada, the headquarter town of Mayurbhanj district, during the day to review enforcement along the West Bengal border.
The police chiefs scheduled visit assumes significance as one-third of the COVID-19 cases in Odisha has links to West Bengal. It is alleged that a large number of people from the neighbouring state have been entering Odishadespite the border being sealed amid the ongoing lockdown.
Worried over people returning from West Bengal posing a major challenge to the states COVID-19 preparedness, the Odisha government has asked all the districts to maintain a strict vigil on the movement of people.
The state government has asked all district collectors to remain alert as at least 24 of the states 74 COVID-19 positive cases have Bengal links.
Officials said the Balasore district, which shares border with West Bengal, has recorded a steep rise in the number of COVID-19 cases since Monday.
The number of coronavirus patients in the district rose to eight from justone.
The health and family welfare department has appealed to the people who returned from West Bengal to voluntarily come forward for tests and place themselves in home or hospital quarantine as a precautionary measure.
Following detection of the new COVID-19 cases, the state government has ordered setting up of containment zones in the affected areas in order to stop the spread of the infectious virus. So far, the state has identified 15 suchcontainment zones.
Active surveillance and contact tracing operations have been launched in the containment zones which have been effectively sealed prohibiting peoples movement, sources said.
While Bhadrak that reported eight COVID-19 cases presently has five containment zones, two containment zones are in Jajpur and one in Balasore.
Following fresh cases being detected in the three districts, additional containment zones are now being created, an official said.
Jajpur district Collector Ranjan Kumar Das said five more panchayats have been declared as containment zones where extensive sanitisation is being undertaken.
He also appealed to the people to inform the administration if anyone with travel history to Kolkata reached the villages recently.
Besides, Bhubaneswar with 46 COVID-19 cases has threecontainment zones, while Kendrapara with two patients alsocreated two such zones. One containment zone each have beencreated in Kalahandi, Sundergarh and Balasore districts. AAM SKNSOM04211258 ANBANB