Odisha's COVID-19 tally crosses 6000 mark; two-day curfew in Puri from June 30 ahead of return car festival

The festival, also known as 'Bahuda Yatra', in which Lord Jagnnath return to the Sri Mandir with his divine siblings, will be held on July 1.
Taladhwaja chariot with Lord Balabhadra on the way to Mausima temple during Ratha Yatra in Puri on Tuesday. (Photo | Biswanath Swain/EPS)
Taladhwaja chariot with Lord Balabhadra on the way to Mausima temple during Ratha Yatra in Puri on Tuesday. (Photo | Biswanath Swain/EPS)

PURI: Odisha reported one more COVID-19 fatality on Saturday, taking the death toll to 18 as 170 more people, including an NDRF jawan, tested positive for the virus, pushing the tally to 6,350.

In a statement issued on Saturday, the Health department said a 68-year-old COVID-positive man died in Ganjam district.

The victim was also suffering from co-morbid conditions of hypertension and diabetes, it said.

With this, the COVID deaths reported from Ganjam district increases to nine.

Four deaths were reported from Khurda, three from Cuttack and one each from Bargarh and Puri.

The state had reported its first COVID death in Bhubaneswar on April 6, the official said.

Besides this, seven other COVID-positive persons have also died but the reason of their death was due to other diseases, the official said.

Of the 170 fresh cases, 143 were reported from quarantine centres, where people returning from other states are lodged for preliminary observation, while 27 others were local people, he said.

Number of active cases in Odisha now stands at 1,903 as 4,422 people have recovered.

Of the fresh cases, 169 were reported from 14 districts while one belonged to the NDRF.

Fifty-eight cases were reported from Ganjam district, followed by 19 each in Khurda and Nabarangpur, 16 each from Gajapati and Rayagada, 14 from Cuttack, six each from Puri and Kendrapara, five from Malkangiri, three each from Jajpur and Nayagarh, two from Sambalpur and one each from Koraput and Bargarh districts, the Information and Public Relations department said.

The Ganjam district administration said the 58 new cases include 18 frontline workers like doctors, health workers, police and administrative staff.

The NDRF jawan, who tested positive, had returned from cyclone Amphan restoration duty in West Bengal.

The total number of disaster response personnel of the NDRF, the ODRAF and the Odisha Fire Service infected by the virus increases to 290.

All of them had returned from West Bengal cyclone duty.

So far 2,49,908 samples have been tested in the state.

To prevent a congregation of people during the return car festival of Lord Jagannath in view of the coronavirus pandemic, the Puri administration announced on Saturday that a curfew will be clamped in the entire district from 10 pm on June 30 to 10 pm on July 2.

The festival, also known as "Bahuda Yatra", in which Lord Jagnnath return to the Sri Mandir with his divine siblings, will be held on July 1.

All the entry points to Puri will be sealed and no vehicle other than those engaged in the return car festival will be allowed into the temple town during the curfew hours, an official said.

The announcement of curfew in the district comes a day after Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik called upon everyone to adhere to a Supreme Court order and the COVID-19 guidelines to make the return car festival as successful as the Rath Yatra, as the whole world is watching the historic event amid the pandemic.

The chief minister had also emphasised the need for proactive steps to implement the curfew and the lockdown.

The curfew will remain in force throughout the district during the period to ensure a smooth conduct of the "Bahuda Yatra".

Movement of vehicles and people will not be allowed during the period, Puri District Collector Balwant Singh said.

Appealing to the people from other parts of the state to refrain from trying to visit Puri to witness the "Bahuda Yatra", Singh said everyone should abide by the Supreme Court's directives during the historic festival, which is being held amidst the crisis triggered by COVID-19.

The residents of Puri should refrain from venturing out of their homes to watch the return car festival and people from other parts of the state must not proceed to the seaside pilgrim town.

All the devotees, both in Puri and outside, can watch the proceedings on television, the collector said.

The return car festival marks the end of the nine-day Rath Yatra of Lord Jagannath and his siblings, Lord Balabhadra and Devi Shubhadra, to the Shree Gundicha Temple.

The Rath Yatra was held amid tight security and a total absence of devotees for the first time in living memory on June 23.

Elaborate security arrangements are being made to ensure a smooth and peaceful conduct of the "Bahuda Yatra", for which police personnel in strength will be deployed, a senior official of the force said.

On June 22, the Supreme Court, while modifying its June 18 stay order on the festival, granted permission for holding the Rath Yatra by a limited number of servitors without public attendance in view of the COVID-19 pandemic.

The "Bahuda Yatra" will be followed by the "Suna Besa" (gold attire) of the deities on July 2, "Adhara Pana" on July 3 and "Niladri Bije" on July 4.

As these festivals too attract a large number of devotees, there will be restrictions on non-essential movement of the public from July 1 to July 4, the collector said.

"I request all to have darshan of the Holy Trinity on television by staying at home," he said.

All hotels and lodges in the district have been asked not to accommodate tourists and visitors during the four days and take bookings only after the festivals, Singh said.

He said all commercial establishments on Puri's Grand Road, outside the 13th-century Jagannath temple, will remain closed and a detailed survey will be carried out of the nearby houses, temples, mutts and other religious institutions.

Only the residents of the area will be allowed to stay and if any non-residents or relatives or visitors of the locals are found, action will be taken against them, the collector added.

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