Bhubaneswar: As the Coronavirus crisis begins to deepen, Odisha bureaucrats seem to be setting an example for others to follow. A few IAS and IPS officers whose children have returned from abroad in the last few days, have shifted themselves to government guest houses to prevent themselves and consequently others from getting infected.
The officers said this quarantine imposed on their children is necessary in preventing the spread of the lethal virus.
“My daughter is studying in the University of Wisconsin at Madison in the US. She came back to Bhubaneswar on Thursday as for the rest of the semester her University will conduct the classes as well as examination online. She has registered online with the Odisha government portal for Covid-19 and is staying in home quarantine in our house,” TOI quoted senior IPS officer and State Transport Commissioner Sanjeeb Panda as saying.
Panda further said that for the time being he has shifted to the IPS Guest house here making sure that his official work is not hampered. His wife Santosh Bala, who is the State Home Department’s Special Secretary is currently on leave for 14 days to be with their US-returned daughter.
Senior IAS officer Vishal Dev who is the Officer on Special duty (OSD) to Chief Secretary and looks after the state’s Covid-19 management, has also shifted to the State Guest house as his daughter studying in the US returned to Bhubaneswar on Friday. “Since I am working, I am moving out to the state Guest house for 14 days from today. We got her registration done on the Covid-19 website two days ago,” he said to TOI.
Few of the IPS officers have advised their wards to remain in self-quarantine abroad.
Senior IPS officer and special Director General (Intelligence) Satyajit Mohanty said his son who works for a law firm in London has been working from home in the foreign country. “It is risky to get exposed to crowds,” is what Mohanty has advised his son.
Even Twin city Police Commissioner Sudhansu Sarangi’s son who works with an investment bank in Dubai has been working from home.
As of now, as many as 3229 persons who arrived from abroad, have registered themselves in Odisha government’s COVID-19 portal. They have come from over a hundred countries and are residents covering all 30 districts in the State.
Lockdown In Odisha
With Covid-19 positive cases rising rapidly in India, Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik today ordered lock-down in districts of Khurdha, Cuttack, Ganjam, Kendrapada, Angul, and in towns of Puri, Rourkela, Sambalpur, Jharsuguda, Balasore, Jajpur road, Jajpur town, Bhadrak for a week from 7 am of March 22 to 9 pm of March 29.