ROURKELA: Sundargarh district reported 147 new Covid-19 cases, the highest in Odisha on Wednesday. The district’s tally now stands at 16,706 Covid cases of which 635 are active. Till March 31, the daily positive case count in Sundargarh remained below 31. However, closure of most of the dedicated Covid-19 facilities and lackadaisical attitude of the administration besides violation of safety norms by people contributed to another surge in infections.
In Bandega village of Balishankara block, 50 people tested positive after attending a wedding on March 14. Sarpanch Laxmipriya Lakra attributed the virus spread to the band party group from Nagpur, Maharashtra that had performed at the ceremony.
“Bandega with 24 cases and adjoining Murkia village with 10 cases have been declared as containment zones since April 4 and are being closely monitored,” said chief district medical officer Dr SK Mishra.
Meanwhile, enforcement has been intensified in Rourkela which contributes around 65-70 per cent cases of the district. In Rourkela, night curfew is in place since April 5.
On Tuesday, a meeting under the chairmanship of ADM Aboli Sunil Naravane was held to discuss about enforcement activities and augmentation of testing and treatment facilities. Naravane visited VSS market complex at Chhend Colony and other busy areas to take stock of the Covid-19 enforcement and warned people against violations. Licenses of shopkeepers and business establishments would be cancelled for disobedience, she said.