Dikhyaa Mohanty 
To tackle the latest increase of the Covid cases in Odisha, the state government has reactivated the State machinery in the district bordering some states with a high incidence of the virus.
Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik announced this fresh term to withhold the rising number of Coronavirus cases. During the meeting with Prime Minister Narendra Modi, CM Patnaik thanked the Union Government for allowing the States, under SDRF guidelines, to spend up to 50% of the annual allocation for Covid-related activities during 2020-21 and the same guidelines may be continued for the year 2021-22.
During 2020-21, Odisha had requested Rs 400 crore under Emergency Covid Response Plan (ECRP) but received Rs 146 crore. And now with the sudden rise of the Covid cases, the CM requested that at least Rs 300 crore be released to Odisha for 2021-22 for Covid Management.
While talking about the vaccination process CM Patnaik stated that Odisha is doing well in the vaccination program with among the lowest wastage in the country and an efficient system of administering the vaccine to eligible persons. Currently, Odisha has been able to vaccinate around 2.5 Lakh persons per day and can increase furthermore. CM requested that at least 10 days’ stock of the vaccine is ensured for Odisha.
Odisha government have also promulgated certain stipulation which is to be followed to prevent the transmission of the infection. All Public Transport from Odisha to Chhattisgarh and vice versa shall be suspended from 10.04.2021 till 30.04.2021. Transport Commissioner, Odisha shall issue appropriate orders in this regard. The Transport Department with help of State Police and under the active guidance of District Collectors will set up Border Check Points (BCPs) at strategic locations/ border entry points to manage the entry of incoming persons/ vehicles.
Even all Industries/ Educational Institutions/ Commercial Establishments shall ensure the implementation of all COVID appropriate behaviour/ protocols and set up their own isolation facilities i.e. Covid Care Centres (CCCs)/ Covid Care Homes (CCHs) for Covid Positive persons found in their Establishments. The Expenditure incurred for this purpose shall be borne by them.
If any violation is observed in complying with Covid-19 appropriate behavior and protocols, they will be liable to be proceeded against following the provisions of section 51 to 60 of the Disaster Management Act, 2005, the Epidemic Diseases Act, 1897, and Regulations issued thereunder besides legal action under section 188 of the IPC and other legal provisions as applicable. Any person found violating this order shall be punished under the provisions of the Disaster Management Act, 2005 and other relevant laws, the SRC’s order added.
As per the Information & Public Relations Department report,1282 new Covid-19 cases were detected in Odisha in the last 24 hours. Among the new cases detected till midnight of Thursday, 755 are quarantine cases and 527 local contact cases. With this, the total number of positive cases in Odisha now stands at 346808.
Image Source – Google
