Bhubaneswar: The novel coronavirus is acquiring rural hues in Odisha, of late. It is the rural areas that have boosted up the COVID-19 numbers during the second spurt of COVID cases in the State. As many as nine gram panchayats are now under COVID containment zones.
The coming weekend may see more gram panchayats under the COVID containment plan, when the COVID-19 count in Odisha will touch the 100-mark. As on today, nearly two dozen (22) suspects are currently admitted to in the State's 27 dedicated COVID hospitals, sources said and added that at least 10 belong to the rural areas of the same districts.
The total COVID cases in Odisha as on Tuesday stand at 79. The proportion of urban- rural divide in the State now stands at 53: 47. It is this fear of rising rural share in COVID-19 chart that recently compelled CM Naveen Patnaik to confer the power of DM (district magistrates) on sarpanches in the State.
As per State Government's recent order, any returnee to state from outside Odisha has to mandatorily register him/herself in their respective panchayats, and have to stay in home quarantine for 14 -days. This has been done to monitor and track their movement and status, informed official sources.
Regarding the transmission of COVID in the State, data shows nearly 35 per cent cases in Odisha were imported ones (either from abroad or source states), and the remaining cases in the State have been a consequence of contact and limited local transmission.
And in order to prevent the limited local transmission evolving into a widespread local or cluster transmission in Odisha, State health department promptly imposes containment plans in the places post detection of even a single COVID case there.
However, as per the COVID guidelines, a hotspot is one where the cases reported are 6 or more. And the Covid-19 containment plan is for containment of disease in hotspots only. But Odisha proactively imposes containment plan in places, even with detection of a single Covid-19 case.
The State health department does so citing the Centre's COVID-19 guidelines that permit a State government to impose containment zone, provided the State views the area as a potential hotspot. The Bommikhal instance is evident to this strategy of State government. Results are also there to see. No new case wasreported during the last 5-days.