JAGATSINGHPUR: Relaxation of quarantine norms by State Government has meant more trouble for the administration and family members of returnees in Jagatsinghpur district. Six migrant labourers who were asked to return home after seven days of isolation at temporary medical centres (TMCs) tested positive for coronavirus on Wednesday, leaving their families and villagers panic struck. The new patients belong to Jagannathpur and Ibrisingh panchayats under Tirtol block.
Three quarantine centres were set up in the panchayat and 105 returnees were isolated in these facilities. On May 18, two labourers returned from Maharashtra and stayed at the quarantine centre set up at Government ITI and two more from West Bengal were lodged at the centre a Girls High School. While earlier the quarantine period was 28 days, the State Government recently relaxed the norm to seven day mandatory institutional quarantine and another seven day home quarantine thereafter.
When the four labourers at Government ITI and Girls High School quarantine facilities completed their week-long institutional quarantine period, they were asked to go home on May 25. However, they were found positive for the disease on Wednesday. Sarpanch of Jagannathpur, Sheelarani Khandual said swab samples of 20 family members of the four labourers and other returnees in the two quarantine centres have been collected for test.
Similarly in Ibrisingh panchayat, two Maharashtra returnees were lodged at Jayakrushna Vidyapeetha quarantine centre on May 14. They too were asked to return home after seven days on May 24. They were tested positive on Tuesday. The labourers had come in contact with 11 of their family members, informed Sarpanch Bedashree Bandana Das.With the six new positive cases in Tirtol block, the district’s tally has touched 47. All the patients have been shifted to KIMS Covid Hospital at Bhubaneswar.