Curbs eased as Sundargarh reports 12th +ve case

ROURKELA: Sundargarh reported its 12th Covid-19 positive case on Wednesday even as lockdown restrictions were eased in many parts of the district. The Ashiyana Colony was also excluded from containment area in Bisra block after 24 days.A 49-year-old male with travel history to Kolkata tested positive in Rourkela. He had been admitted to Hi-Tech Covid-19 Hospital on May 3. 

However, well-placed sources said the Kolkata returnee is no way related to Rourkela. This inaccurate information put up by the State Information and Public Relations department led to rumours and confusion among residents with many linking the case to the city’s Main Road containment zone. The blame for this public misconception is being put on the district administration which has shut flow of all information. 

The man, a tanker driver, used to shuttle between the mining-belt of Koida in Sundargarh and Kolkata in West Bengal. On March 17, he went to meet his family at Topsia in Salt Lake area of Kolkata via Rourkela in train. He stayed there with his wife and three sons. 

On April 30, he began his journey  back from Kolkata in long distance trucks, other vehicles and even walked some distance via Kharagpur, Barkote to reach Rajamunda of Sundargarh on May 3. Then he took a lift and reached Tarkera in Rourkela and walked to the Covid-19 Hospital. Though said to be asymptomatic, it is still unknown why he chose to visit the hospital and how many persons he had contacted during his return journey. 

While Sundargarh Collector Nikhil Pawan Kalyan did not respond to repeated calls, chief district medical and public health officer Dr SK Mishra claimed that the administration was tracking his travel history. 
Meanwhile, residents of Ashiyana Colony heaved a sigh of relief after the locality was excluded from the containment zone in Bisra. However, the connecting Gurgurjore slum continues to be in total shutdown. Five positive cases were reported from Ashiyana Colony and Gurgurjore between April 11 and 25. The Rourkela Containment Zone has reported six positive cases and with the Kolkata returnee, the total count of Sundargarh has reached 12. While nine patients have recovered, three are still undergoing treatment in the hospital.