JAGATSINGHPUR: Even as violation of Covid guidelines continues blatantly across the district, Jagatsinghpur on Wednesday recorded it biggest single-day spike of 188 positive cases.
Though the situation is alarming in the district which has so far reported 3,370 positive cases, people continue to disregard the safety norms with crowded marketplaces and Government offices becoming a common sight.
Sources said recently, political parties conducted public meetings for the upcoming Tirtol by-polls where people brazenly violated the social distancing and mask norms. Besides, traders in various markets of Jagatsinghpur, Rahama, Raghunathpur, Paradip and Kujang are protesting the strict enforcement of coronavirus guidelines by the administration.
On the day, the district administration closed the offices of Balikuda and Erasama blocks for three days after detection of positive cases among the staff. Locals alleged that marriages and other religious ceremonies are being organised without adherence to the safety norms. Though are obtaining permission for holding marriages and death ceremonies with 50 and 20 guests respectively from the administration, gatherings of around 400-500 persons are found during these events. Neither the revenue officials nor police are properly supervising these events or penalising the violators, they claimed.
Residents opined that inadequate testing facilities are a major reason behind the spike in infections in the district. The district headquarters hospital (DHH) is turning away persons who are visiting for tests. Besides, shortage of staff and lack of space are resulting long queues of people waiting outside testing facilities without maintaining social distance.
Such is the situation that in the last one week, Jagatsinghpur MLA Prashant Muduli, the local tehsildar, an executive engineer of electricity department, police officers, doctors and nurses have tested positive for Covid-19 apart from the general public. The active contacts of these infected persons are reluctant to visit hospital for tests as health workers are not collecting swab samples from the doorsteps. Of the total Covid-19 cases in Jagatsinghpur, 2,232 cases have recovered while 944 are active.