COVID-19 situation alarming in Odisha capital: BMC Commissioner

Bhubaneswar:  COVID-19 situation has become alarming in the state capital, cautioned Bhubaneswar Municipal Commissioner (BMC) Commissioner Prem Chandra Chaudhary.

Addressing a presser regarding detection of positive cases in  Xavier Institute of Management, Bhubaneswar (XIMB), the official today said 28 positive cases were detected in XIMB yesterday while swab samples of 200 more students, staff and faculty members of the institute have been sent for testing. Contact tracing of the infected is underway and the campus has been closed till further orders.

The BMC Commissioner further said, “authorities of the institute should have taken permission before hosting the convocation in the campus. However, we have asked them to submit a list of all students, staff and faculty, who will be kept under surveillance and undergo COVID-19 test in coming days.”

COVID-19 situation has become a bit alarming in Bhubaneswar that has been reporting daily cases in double digits for the last five to seven days. Today, maximum cases reported from Khordha district were from Bhubaneswar, including 28 from XIMB. One servitor of Lingaraj temple and his family members have also contracted the virus  and contact tracing has already begun.

 

In view of the resurgence, enforcement of COVID-19 guidelines will be intensified in the capital city. Surveillance at crowded places will be carried out regularly. A special squad of BMC will  be engaged for the purpose.    

“At railway stations and airports, rigorous checking of passengers coming from hotspot states will be conducted. We are planning to conduct random RT-PCR test of the passengers. We will also intensify sample collection in other areas,” the BMC senior official said.