BHUBANESWAR: After a brief lull, cases of Covid-19 have yet again started surfacing in educational institutions and hostels of Bhubanewar even as 190 new infections pushed the active case tally of the city beyond 1,100 mark.
Utkal University and OUAT reported four and five cases respectively. Municipal Commissioner Prem Chandra Chaudhary said that the students tested positive in Utkal University were residing in the hostels. “We have launched contract tracing and would conduct more tests to isolate the asymptomatics and contain the spread,” Chaudhary said.
He said similar measures have also been taken for OUAT hostels. “If more cases are detected in these campuses we will seal them,” the Municipal Commissioner said. Some OUAT students alleged that despite requests to disinfect campus no steps has been taken by the BMC or the university authorities.
The commissioner, however, said that authorities of both the universities have been asked to take appropriate safety measures and ensure enforcement of Covid safety behaviour and social distancing in the campuses as well as hostels. BMC officials said a total 190 new cases of Covid-19 were reported in the city in the last 24 hours of which 152 were related to local transmission.