BHUBANESWAR: The Bhubaneswar Municipal Corporation (BMC) on Wednesday declared four more flats in a residential society as micro-containment zones following detection of multiple Covid-19 cases.
Flat numbers 112 (G), 132 (G), 142 (G) and 151 (G) at Cosmopolis apartment in Ward 64 were declared micro-containment zones after a number of households in these residential units tested positive for the virus.
BMC officials, however, informed that none of the infected persons is a foreign returnee. As part of the containment measures, the civic body has restricted movement of residents of the flats till further orders. It will supply essentials to these households and appoint a rapid response team (RRT) to meet their medical requirements.
On Tuesday, the BMC had declared three houses, two in Jayadurga Nagar area of Bomikhal and one in VSS Nagar as micro-containment zones after four foreign returnees - two from UK and two from Nigeria - tested positive for Covid-19. BMC officials said they are waiting for the genome sequencing report of the patients admitted to SUM Dedicated Covid Hospital (DCH).
BMC Deputy Commissioner Suvendu Sahoo said that as per the instruction of the State government, a 20-bed isolation ward has been created for infected and suspected patients. Besides, measures are being taken to track the foreign returnees who have remained untraced so far. Out of 1,025 odd foreign returnees who arrived in Odisha since November 26, around 70 have remained untraced.
While BMC has mandated eight days isolation for the foreign returnees, especially those returning from countries ‘at risk’, many are untraced as they provided incorrect addresses and phone numbers. The BMC Deputy Commissioner said that they have mobilised 16 RRTs and kept 20 such teams ready to trace the
foreign returnees whose whereabouts are yet to be found.