14-day institutional quarantine for people coming to slums in Bhubaneswar

They will have to undergo institutional quarantine before moving into the slums, said Municipal Commissioner Prem Chandra Chaudhary.
Image of a quarantine facility used for representational purpose only (File Photo | PTI)
Image of a quarantine facility used for representational purpose only (File Photo | PTI)

BHUBANESWAR: Faced with a new wave of local cases with potential threat to the slums, the Bhubaneswar Municipal Corporation (BMC) on Friday went for stricter control measures, announcing compulsory 14-day institutional quarantine for those returning to the city slums from other Covid hotspots of the State. People coming in from Ganjam, Cuttack, Balasore, Gajapati and Jajpur districts will not be allowed to stay in home quarantine. They will have to undergo institutional quarantine before moving into the slums, said Municipal Commissioner Prem Chandra Chaudhary.

“We took the decision after some of the people from these districts who returned to the city for work post-lockdown and moved into the slums were tested Covid-19 positive,” Chaudhary said.

BMC additional commissioner Surath Chandra Mallick said the primary reason why it has been implemented in slums areas are the limitations in maintaining social distancing there. “Social distancing is practically not possible in slums because of the small houses and high population density. In such situation, returnees, if asymptomatic, can spread the virus to many others,” he said. Institutional quarantine has also been mandated for those returning to the city slums from hotspot areas outside State.

“The active surveillance teams and Covid Sachetaks will keep track of the persons returning to the slums from hotspot zones and districts and report to the civic body on a daily basis. The zonal deputy commissioners will shift the person concerned to institutional quarantine,” he said. The civic body has institutional quarantine facilities at Krupajal Engineering College, Trident College and Yatri Niwas.

The OUAT hostels are also in BMC’s possession that can be used during need, Mallick added. On Friday, the number of Covid-19 positive cases in the city increased to 274 as 16 more including a 50-year-old female from Abhiram slum in Sundarpada area tested positive.

BMC officials who termed it a local case couldn’t provide information on the source of infection of the patient. They said that two home quarantine cases and 14 local cases were reported on the day. The local cases also include nine cases from the Blue Wheel hospital, two from Baramunda and one each from Jharpada and Mahtab road in Old Town. The number of Covid cases reported from Blue Wheel hospital has now increased to 39. All staff and employees of the hospital have been quarantined after it was sealed two-days back.

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