JAGATSINGHPUR: As many as 20 persons were infected with coronavirus after attending a feast in Singapur village under Balikuda block in Jagatsinghpur district. A woman Jyotsnarani Sahani of the village passed away on August 30 following a prolonged illness. Her family members observed the 11th-day death rituals and hosted a feast for villagers on September 8. While the State Government has restricted the presence of 50 persons in death rituals, the feast was attended by hundreds of villagers.
Five days later, the deceased woman’s son-in-law, who attended the feast, suffered from fever and underwent a COVID test. When his test report came out positive, the entire family and few villagers opted for a test at the District Headquarters Hospital. Of them, 15 family members and four villagers turned out positive.
Sarpanch of Krushndaspur panchayat Lina Malla said at least 300 persons had attended the feast and she has asked the Anganwadi and Asha workers to facilitate rapid antigen tests of the other villagers who were present at the event.
Meanwhile, the administration has declared a two-day shutdown in Biridi block beginning Thursday after the detection of positive cases. On the day, 126 positive cases were detected in the district.