BHUBANESWAR: As the Covid-19 situation continued to remain grim in Odisha, the Puri district administration made RT-PCR negative report mandatory for tourists and pilgrims from five high-risk states of Maharashtra, Chhattisgarh, Madhya Pradesh, Kerala, and Punjab.
Hoteliers have been asked not to allow guests if they fail to produce Covid negative reports or vaccination certificates. Travellers not having the report or certificate will have to undergo seven-day mandatory isolation. Anyone violating the guidelines will be punished as per the prevailing rules.
The state recorded 588 new cases in the last 24 hours pushing the active cases to 3,731. Khurda district that comprises Bhubaneswar city reported over 105 cases for the first time this year.
Khurda district is followed by Sundargarh (84), Kalahandi (64), Jharsuguda (31), Cuttack (30), Nuapada (29), Sambalpur (28), Ganjam (27), Puri (24), and Bargarh (21).
Eight districts bordering Chhattisgarh accounted for 43% of the daily caseload as the infection spread in the rural pockets. The government has imposed a night curfew from 10 pm to 5 am in 10 border districts from Monday.
The test positivity rate soared to 2.35% from 2% a day before. The state had conducted 25,005 tests in the last 24 hours. With the fresh cases, the tally rose to 3,43,856 of which 3,38,150 recorded and 1922 succumbed. As many as 3731 patients are now undergoing treatment at home and Covid hospitals.
Meanwhile, the Bhubaneswar Municipal Corporation (BMC) sealed Silicon Institute of Technology for allegedly violating the Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) issued to check Covid-19 spread.
On Monday, the engineering college was served a show-cause notice. It was sealed as the authorities failed to provide any satisfactory reply to the notice.
Health Minister Naba Kishore Das asked health officials to visit Dimirimunda panchayat in Sambalpur district and initiate immediate containment measures after 38 villagers tested positive for Covid-19 in the last three days.