Bhubaneswar: The daily COVID-19 caseload in Odisha spiralled to 170 on Wednesday. Among the fresh cases, 29 were detected in a village in Nuapada district.
The spurt in cases in Brahamanpada village under Sinapali block is being attributed to its close proximity to Chhattisgarh, which reported 1910 positive cases and 20 deaths the same day. It is being suspected that the villagers got the infection from there.
According to sources, 56 samples were collected from the village and the results of 29 were found to be positive.
Nuapada had reported four positive cases on Tuesday and the number jumped to 27 in the next 24 hours.
Following the sudden spike in cases, the local sarpanch has announced the closure of the weekly market to be held on Thursday.
This was one of the reasons for the night curfew in Malkangiri district, which has zero active cases, during Bada Jatra.
Also Read: [Watch] Night Curfew Returns To Odisha After 3 Months
Malkangiri shares borders with Chhattishgarh, Andhra Pradesh and Telangana. “People from these states come to the district to participate in the tribal festival. Chhattishgarh and Telangana have witnessed a spike in daily caseload with over 1000 infections being reported in these states every day. There is every possibility that people from these states can infect those in Malkangiri and this can lead to a rise in cases here,” Collector Yeddula Vijay said.
The curfew will be in force between 9 pm and 6 am till March 31.
Nabarangpur is the second district in Odisha to have imposed night curfew to contain the spread of the virus. The enforcement of the same will begin at 8 pm from March 25.
Also Read: COVID-19 Scare: Night Curfew In One More Odisha District From Today
