The sudden spike in Covid cases across Odisha has set the alarm bells ringing with the district administrations putting in place precautionary measures to tackle the third wave of infections.
In Ganjam, vehicles mounted with public address systems were seen moving across the district on Thursday to spread awareness among people about the imminent Covid threat.
Urging people to strictly adhere to Covid guidelines, the administration has reimposed several restrictions in view of the alarming situation.
The district, which was reporting Covid cases in single digits till Wednesday, recorded 34 new infections on the day. Collector Vijay Kulange visited MKCG Medical College and Hospital to review the preparedness of the health facility.
“We have readied 90 ICU beds at MKCG. In next five days, beds with oxygen facility will be made available at City hospital and temporary health centres across the district,” he said.
In Dhenkanal, prohibitory orders under section 144 of CrPC were clamped at 22 tourist spots and 12 temples in the district to avoid gathering at these places. The restrictions will remain in force till January 31.
On the day, Dhenkanal Collector Saroj Sethy sealed four shops for violating Covid guidelines. Sethy said during his visit to a market, he found a large gathering at the shops.
Besides, many customers were not wearing masks and maintaining social distance. The police have been asked to enforce Covid guidelines strictly across the district.
Meanwhile, the district health authorities have informed the State government about the 10 untraceable foreign returnees. Despite efforts, the returnees could not be traced as their mobile phones are switched off.
Similarly, Koraput Collector Md Abdaal Akhtar and in-charge CDMO Arun Padhi visited Covid hospitals to take stock of the available infrastructure.
Authorities of the hospitals were asked to remain prepared for any exigency. At least 15 Covid cases were detected in Koraput in the last 24 hours.
In Jagatsinghpur, first year students of Bachelor of Education (B.Ed) boycotted their examination scheduled on the day at the District Institute for Education and Training (DIET) due to the Covid threat.
Panicked by the rise in Covid cases, 50 students skipped the examination in protest. The students staged dharna demanding conduct of the first year examination in online mode. Sources said a student of B.Ed had tested Covid positive recently. In the last two days, Jagatsinghpur has reported 19 Covid cases.