Berhampur: Amid reports of the highly contiguous new variant of the coronavirus in the United Kingdom fast-spreading its tentacles, Ganjam district Collector Friday said that at least three persons have returned to Berhampur from Britain recently.
"One of the three returnees has been traced and is under home quarantine. We have also conducted RT-PCR test twice and the results were found negative. Contact tracing for the other two is underway," said Collector Vijay Amrut Kulange on Friday, after flagging off the 'Covid Sachetanata Rath' which will cover two blocks every day till December 29.
The Collector, however, stated that there is no need to panic and has urged the public to be more vigilant.
"We have to follow every precautionary measure at least till a vaccine is rolled out. The new strain of coronavirus is suspected to have reached some parts of India including Delhi, Karnataka and Maharashtra. In order to prevent a possible outbreak of the mutated strain, people of Ganjam will have to remain extra cautious now. We had successfully fought the first phase of Covid-19 through awareness only," said Kulange.
Meanwhile, all the government employees in Ganjam district have been asked not to leave or move out of headquarters without permission in view of the discovery of the mutated strain of coronavirus outbreak in the UK.
The Collector has also asked the officials to check gatherings at picnic spots and sea beaches and initiate necessary preventive actions to regulate the large congregation of the public.
"It is hereby ordered that no government employee should leave the headquarters and in case any employee requires to go out of headquarters, s/he should take prior permission from controlling authority on due recommendation of the head of the office till further order," directed the district collector in a letter to all the Sub-Collectors today.
"Any deviation will be viewed seriously and the erring officials and the concerned head of office will be taken into task and necessary action including departmental proceeding will be initiated against him/her," read the letter.
As huge crowd is being expected to gather at different picnic points and sea beaches of the district due to weekend holidays and Christmas-New Year celebrations, necessary preventive actions should be initiated to regulate large congregation of public, the administration has ordered.
(Edited By Devbrat Patnaik)