BHUBANESWAR: With no let up in Covid-19 positive cases in the State capital despite a high vaccination coverage, the Bhubaneswar Municipal Corporation (BMC) on Wednesday, October 6, 2021, reintroduced containment measures in the city. The civic body declared an entire residential complex at Forest Park as a containment zone.
A BMC official said 20 positive cases were detected from 11 of the 203 flats in the complex called Rajendra Vihar Apartment situated in ward no 52. As around 350-400 people reside in the flats, the entire complex had to be declared as a containment zone to check the spread of the virus, he said. Some residents of the complex said the infection had spread from local contacts. The BMC has launched contact tracing and asked people residing in the complex to get themselves tested if they show any symptoms. As per the civic body’s directive, movement to and from the containment zone has been restricted till further order.
Commercial establishments, as well as institutes located within the containment zone, will remain closed. The civic body said it will supply essential commodities to the residents of the complex and ensure their medical needs are taken care of. One of the nodal officers for Covid-19 in the civic body attributed the rise in spread of infection in the city to complacency among people in following Covid appropriate behaviour. Though all targeted population in 18 plus age group in the city have been vaccinated, the daily caseload includes around 90 per cent such individuals.
The remaining 10 per cent cases include people below 18 years of age, pregnant women and elderly persons having comorbidities, he said. The city now has 3,372 active cases and the infection count continues to hover around 100 to 150 on a daily basis. The Capital reported 111 new cases in the last 24 hours of which the maximum are those who have already been vaccinated twice, said BMC officials said, adding five cases were linked to below 18 years age group. As festive season has started, the civic body has already announced to increase night curfew duration from October 11. The officials said the containment measures will be strengthened if required to bring down the transmission graph.