BHUBANESWAR: The Odisha government has decided against bringing back Covid protocols for now even as fears of a possible wave in January have been flagged by experts.
After a review of the Covid situation by Health and Family Welfare Minister Naba Kishore Das on Wednesday, health secretary Shalini Pandit in a video message said Covid-19 cases are gradually decreasing over the last three months and only five to seven cases a day are being detected now.
“We are conducting 6,000 to 7,000 tests daily and the positivity rate is only 0.04 per cent. The state government has completely lifted Covid-19 restrictions due to a drastic drop in cases in the state. There are no fines for not wearing masks or not following Covid appropriate behaviour,” she said.
As the threat of another Covid wave in January-February is looming large owing to the global surge and dominance of Omicron sub-variants like BQ and BN series, health experts warned the casual approach may boomerang at a time when the state is hosting an international sporting event if no precautions are taken at the earliest.
Karnataka has already made masks mandatory inside theatres, schools and colleges, while the Uttar Pradesh government has asked the officials to ensure that people follow Covid norms. Several others states are also planning to bring back the use of face masks.
Let alone the enforcement of masks in crowded places, the Odisha government has also decided not to screen international passengers at the Biju Patnaik International Airport in Bhubaneswar. Moreover, the hockey World Cup to be held in Bhubaneswar and Rourkela next month will have no limitations on the crowd. The world cup is expected to attract more than half a million people with thousands of fans from these countries expected to arrive in the state.
Though the health secretary advised people to wear masks and adhere to Covid-appropriate behaviour while visiting crowded places as a precautionary measure and for their own safety, experts said it would have little impact on the public unless the government does not lay emphasis on it.
Noted microbiologists and former ICMR member Dr Tribhuban Mohan Mohapatra said Odisha should be extra cautious given the upcoming World Cup as any surge in cases during or post the event will spoil its reputation. “The state government should go for mandatory use of masks in crowded places and proper screening at vulnerable points as precautionary measures. Several studies have proved that masks are the best vaccine,” he said.
“As there is always a risk of spreading the infection from international travellers, the use of masks and screening of all foreign returnees at Bhubaneswar airport would be better to avoid further surge. The government must be looking into it,” said the executive director of AIIMS-Bhubaneswar Dr Ashutosh Biswas.