BARIPADA: Mayurbhanj and Balasore police have intensified vigil at the bordering inter-State routes of Odisha-West Bengal following reports of emergence of the triple mutant variant of the coronavirus in the neighbouring State.
Checking has been ramped up at more than 90 routes connecting the State with West Bengal and Jharkhand, while stressing is on surveillance of cross border movement especially of WB returnees.
“As many as 32 entry points including three major check posts at Hatibari and Jamsola under Jharpokharia police limits and Chaksuliapada under Suliapada police limits are under strict surveillance and plying of inter-State buses have been stopped. Entry is only granted to people with RT-PCR negative report and the ones without it are being sent to the nearest quarantine centres,” said SP Parmar Smit Parshottamdas.
Collector Vineet Bharadwaj said as many as 44 quarantine centres have already been activated and more will be added depending on the situation.
Three temporary medical centres (TMCs) have been reopened in both urban and rural areas.
A 100-bed Covid hospital will be operational on KISS premises at Bankisole under Suliapada block from Monday and number of beds will be increased to 700 at CCCs in Baripada, Udala, Karanjia and Rairangpur sub-divisions with sufficient oxygen support, added Bharadwaj.
The district has reported 122 positive cases in last 24 hours. The total cases reported from the district stand at 15,735. While 14,826 have recovered, 816 are active and 93 succumbed.