As Odisha is bracing to receive lakhs of people from other States, two recent Surat returnees testing positive for COVID-19 has left the State government worried.
Another positive case was reported from Jharsuguda district taking the State’s tally to 160 on Sunday. The 40-year woman is said to have contracted the disease from a previous positive case. Now, 16 out of the total 30 districts in Odisha have reported positive cases.
“Two men aged 17 and 22 who returned from Surat have tested positive in Ganjam district. They were asymptomatic,” said the State government.
Prior to this, Ganjam did not have any single positive case. This southern district is expected to receive a large number of migrant workers stranded across the country.
While a special train carrying 1,150 Odias from Kerala reached Odisha on Sunday, buses with migrant workers and students are on their way to different districts.
“From midnight to 7 p.m. on Saturday, three buses carrying students from Kota and 75 buses with migrant labourers from Gujarat entered Odisha through Sohela Checkgate in Bargarh district,” said Abhay, Director General of Police.
Meanwhile, Odisha is worried about the influx of people from neighbouring West Bengal. Most of those infected in the districts of Balasore, Bhadrak and Jajpur had travel history to West Bengal.
The State government has so far set up 7,261 temporary medical centres in 6,798 gram panchayats of the State. In all these centres, 1,87,395 beds have been readied to provide health services.
