Has Odisha Govt Failed In Covid Management In Category B Districts? Know What OTV Opinion Poll Shows

The government of Odisha seemed to have failed in proper management of Covid pandemic in the 10 category B districts where the infection test positivity rate has not reduced below 5 per cent despite enforcement of lockdown over a period of over a month and half. An opinion poll conducted by Odishatv.in has revealed such startling assumptions by the people in the State.

An online survey put up in the Twitter handle of OTV shows that around 56.8 pc of people think that the State government has indeed been unsuccessful in curbing the Covid cases and fatalities despite clamping down restrictions of lockdown in the category B districts during the last over 50 days.

At the same time, 41.6 per cent of people voted in favour of the government's success, while a paltry of 1.6 per cent of respondents were noncommittal. Around 60134 votes were received during the 24-hour poll.

The Odisha government on Thursday effected a gradual unlock mechanism to reopen economic activities in a phased manner in the State after nearly 50 days of stringent lockdown followed by partial restrictions.

Under the new guidelines, 20 districts grouped under Category A exhibiting less than 5 per cent of TPR have begun unlocking normal day to day activities amid strict adherence to Covid protocols. The weekend shutdown has been done away with while businesses activities have been allowed to function from 6 am to 6 pm.

In the 10 other districts namely Puri, Nayagarh, Khordha, Cuttack, Jagatsinghpur, Kendrapara, Jajpur, Balasore, Bhadrak and Mayurbhanj where the pandemic situation continues to be a concern, the government has however kept the partial lockdown orders in force till July 16.

In order to keep the guards on, the authorities have also ordered to continue night curfew across the State until further orders.

Despite these measures, the Covid cases and mortalities however continue to remain unabated. The daily infections still oscillate around 3000 mark each day and the death numbers register in the forties every day.

So far, Odisha has recorded 912887 cases with 3087 new positives on Thursday. The State has witnessed 4063 deaths with 45 more fatalities in the last one day.