BHUBANESWAR: The continued COVID-19 surge in the Capital City prompted Bhubaneswar Municipal Corporation (BMC) to issue fresh guidelines for malls, street food vendors and other business establishments asking them to prevent crowding and ensure other COVID safety norms on their premises.
"Any deviation in this regard will be viewed as a violation of the provisions of Odisha COVID Regulations 2020 and Epidemic diseases Act 1897 and appropriate action will be taken accordingly," warned BMC Commissioner Vijay Amruta Kulange.
The civic body in its guidelines asked all tiffin shops, tea shops, gupchup, dahibara, juice and lassi vendors to prevent overcrowding at their stalls and asked them to encourage take-away if it becomes difficult for them to manage crowd.
The civic body asked all business establishments including shopping malls to check overcrowding and maintain social distancing of 6 feet. They were also asked to ensure face masks of their staff and customers at all times.
Shopping malls, who had been asked to appoint Covid monitors to ensure social distancing on their premises were instructed to ensure thermal screening and provision of hand washing and sanitisation for the visitors at the entrance. They were also asked to appoint one official to supervise implementation of all Covid safety norms in the mall.
Salons, spas and barber shops were asked to adhere to strict COVID appropriate behaviour in their shops, while all closed venues like auditorium, cinema halls and theatres were also directed to enforce proper mask-wearing and check overcrowding on their premises.
Meanwhile, BMC has increased the COVID bed strength in the SUM DCH to 150 from existing 90. BMC officials said keeping in view the fresh surge, a provision of 15 HDU beds, 55 ICU beds, 20 maternity HDU beds, 15 NICU beds and 20 special cabins have been made in the hospital apart from the 10 general beds and 5 PICU beds. An OT and labour room will also be made operational in the DCH soon, an official said.
Covid cases continued to hover above 200 as the city reported another 203 cases in the last 24 hours. The new cases detected in Bhubaneswar was 35 per cent of the total cases reported in the State. The Capital city now has 850 active cases.
PANEL TO REVIEW COVID DEATHS IN CAPITAL
BHUBANESWAR: The Bhubaneswar Municipal Corporation (BMC) on Monday formed a committee to review COVID-related deaths in the city and clear all the backlogs pending for review. The committee will also look into the quality of healthcare provided by all COVID hospitals including Capital Hospital as well as private health establishments under BMC jurisdiction.
BDA additional commissioner Harishchandra Nayak will be the chairman, while additional district urban public health officer Antaryami Mishra will be the member convenor of the committee.
Besides, Capital Hospital deputy superintendent Dr Dhananjay Das, BMC health officer Deepak Kumar Bisoyi and representatives of the DCHs concerned and private health establishments will be its members.
Capital Hospital pulmonologist Dr Bijay Meher will be member specialist of the committee. The civic body has asked the committee to ensure that death review does not remain pending for more than a week of the death.