Battery of tests for Odisha
The Odisha government is in an unenviable position. As if battling the COVID-19 surge was not enough, it now has to deal with the aftermath of a cyclone that battered parts of the state on Wednesday. More than half a million people had to be evacuated to cyclone shelters so that they could be protected from nature’s fury. While it worked, Yaas has left in its trail scores of villages inundated by the tidal surge, with power and communication hit. As the government gets down to post-cyclone assessment and restoration work, Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik undertook an aerial survey of the affected zones on Thursday. Prime Minister Narendra Modi too is scheduled to fly in to take stock of the situation on Friday.
Odisha has always been a favourite hunting ground for tropical cyclones. It was left in tatters when Fani pummelled the coastal districts in 2019. Last year, it had a close shave with Amphan. However, with Yaas, it has found itself between the proverbial devil and the deep sea. Post-cyclone reconstruction must be taken up, but the natural disaster has only exposed the people, administration and large relief and rescue workforce to the virus risk across coastal districts.
The state administration has a tough task at hand because the Covid spread has not slowed down despite three weeks of lockdown. Whereas most big states, barring Tamil Nadu, have registered a decline in the daily caseloads and positivity rates, Odisha has been moving on a plateau with no drop in sight. It is a reason for worry because the lockdown is going to end on June 1 without the desired outcome. The test positivity rate continues to be a strong 18 per cent despite the state reporting 10,000-plus cases and over 60,000 tests a day. As he pushes on with post-cyclone restoration work, Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik would have to walk a tightrope. He could end the lockdown at the cost of potential increase in Covid spread, or extend it further at the expense of livelihood. For the champion of disaster management, it seems there is no end to the battery of tests.