BHUBANESWAR: Although the daily Covid-19 numbers are declining and the State prepares for further relaxations from July 16, the situation in some coastal districts and Bhubaneswar remains a cause of concern.
Of the 30 districts, 26 are in Group A where the TPR is less than 5 per cent (pc) while Puri at 7 pc, Ganjam 6.2 pc, Jagatsinghpur 5.6 pc and Cuttack 5.5 pc remain in Group B. Though Khurda district comes in Group A, the situation remains critical in Bhubaneswar which is showing persistently high number of Covid-19 cases in July so far despite lockdown restrictions and weekend shutdown.
According to government data, Bhubaneswar reported on an average 300 cases during the last six days. The number of cases in the city on Wednesday was 327. The infection rate has also remained high in the last six days with 295, 271, 316, 310 and 389 cases being reported on July 13, July 12, July 11, July 10 and July 9 respectively.
Situation in Cuttack city has also shown no sign of improvement during the period. It reported more than 50 cases during the six-day period while touching 123 and 114 on July 9 and July 10 respectively. Similarly, there is no respite in Covid-19 infections in Puri district. Sources maintained that most of the restrictions are likely to be lifted in the Group A districts except opening of places of worship, ban on large congregations, public meetings, social, political, cultural and marriage gatherings. Educational institutions are also likely to remain closed.
In view of the large number of cases reported from Bhubaneswar and Cuttack, the government will have to take a decision on whether to continue with weekend shutdown in these places. However, partial lockdown is likely to continue in these two cities and other Group B districts.