SRIKAKULAM: As the new Covid-19 infections in the coastal Andhra districts, particularly in Srikakulam district, report a serious spike, neighbouring Odisha is restricting entry of people from the State into its territory. Only those with Covid-19 negative report or a certificate saying that the person is vaccinated twice are being allowed into Odisha.
Special check posts are arranged at Rayagada bordering Vizianagaram district and also at Paralakhemundi and Girisola in the Andhra-Odisha Border (AOB) by Odisha authorities to restrict people from AP entering the neighbouring state. People living in the bordering villages cross over to Odisha for their daily needs as the villages and major towns are easily accessible when compared to coming to mandal or district headquarters in Srikakulam or Vizianagaram.
As several districts in Odisha, some of them on the borders of Andhra Pradesh, have already declared night curfew and weekend shut down from April 17 and imposed restrictions on movement of vehicles from other states, the authorities have decided to restrict movement of people from AP to stop the further spread of the virus in their State.
Police are allowing citizens of Odisha having proper identity cards and are sending back the people from Andhra Pradesh. Odisha officials are conducting thermal screening and Covid tests for drivers of goods vehicles and allowing them only after they test negative.
Odisha’s Gajapati District Collector Anupam Kumar Saha is personally monitoring the movement of people at Mahendra Tanaya Bridge which was constructed between Pathapatnam of AP and Paralakhemundi of Odisha. Police personnel manning the check posts at Parvathupuram-Rayagada and Pathapatnam -Paralakhemundi, Ichchapuram-Girisola are also strictly implementing Odisha government restrictions and sending away people of AP without Covid negative report. Huge hoardings were also erected at the border checkposts on the restrictions imposed by the Odisha administration.
When contacted by TNIE, Srikakulam District Collector J Nivas said that Odisha officials at AOB are restricting movement of people from other states as per their government orders. As on date, there are no restrictions on inter-state movement issued by the Government of India but the Odisha government is implementing the restrictions,’’ he said, adding that the AP authorities have not put any restrictions on inter-state movement at the AOB.