Bengal personnel on COVID, poll duties exempted from quarantine: Odisha government

BHUBANESWAR: The Odisha Government on Saturday exempted persons coming from West Bengal on emergency work related to Covid-19 management by government and private hospitals as well as those arriving in connection with election duty as per the orders of the Election Commission of India (ECI) or Chief Electoral Officer from the 14-day mandatory quarantine norm.

In partial modification of his earlier order issued on April 22, Special Relief Commissioner (SRC) PK Jena said that such persons will have to strictly follow appropriate Covid-19 protocols.

They will perform minimum necessary travel as required to perform the task for which he/she has been drafted for and not unnecessarily move around, he added.

The SRC said that any person violating these measures will be proceeded against in accordance with the provisions of the Disaster Management Act, 2005, the Epidemic Act, 1897 and other provisions under section 188 of the IPC.

In its April 22 order, the State government had announced that anyone coming to Odisha from West Bengal by personal, hired vehicles, trains or alighting at Bhubaneswar or Jharsuguda airports will undergo mandatory institutional quarantine for 14 days in cluster temporary medical centres (TMCs) or in an identified paid quarantine centre.

However, any person who produces a certificate of two doses of vaccination or negative RT-PCR certificate done 48 hours before entering Odisha will be allowed seven days home quarantine.

The order said that such persons will be quarantined in institutional facilities for seven days in case of non-compliance to Covid protocols and home quarantine guidelines.