Odisha Special Striking Force jawan tests positive for Covid-19

BERHAMPUR:  A Jawan of Odisha Special Striking Force (OSSF) was among the 18 new Covid-19 positive cases that were detected in Ganjam district on Tuesday.Ganjam SP Brijesh Roy informed that the two jawans were engaged in patrolling duty at the temporary medical centres (TMCs) at Humma and Khallikote. Inquiry is underway to know about their source of infection and contact tracing is on. The two frontline workers have been admitted to Parla Maharaj Covid Hospital.

All the positive persons are migrant returnees lodged in TMCs. They have been admitted to Covid Hospital at Sitalapalli, Covid health centre on City Hospital premises and another dedicated facility at Hinjilcut. Although the administration revealed that there is no community transmission of the disease, it has not revealed the areas where the TMCs are located to avoid panic among locals.  

However, people demanded that administration should disclose names of the places as it would help the locals remain cautious. There have been instances when returnees have tested positive after they were sent for home quarantine. Locals fear that the returnees might have spread the virus as they violated quarantine norms and visited public spaces.

Meanwhile, 97 passengers boarded the inter-city train from Berhampur to Bhubaneswar that began plying on Tuesday. The tickets had been booked online and all of them were screened before they boarded the train.The second phase of door-to-door health screening of people also gained pace on the day. The screening will continue till Saturday covering 3.5 lakh people of the district.