COVID Surge: Odisha Govt Asks 6 Districts To Put Up Border Check Posts

Bhubaneswar: Taking note of the alarming rise in COVID-19 cases in the neighbouring states, the Odisha government on Tuesday directed the collectors of six districts to put up check posts (BCP) on all inter-state roads along Andhra Pradesh and Telangana border with immediate effect.

In a letter to the collectors of Ganjam, Gajapati, Rayagada, Koraput, Malkangiri and Nabarangpur districts, Special Relief Commissioner (SRC) Pradeep Jena issued the following directions.

—The district administrations shall ensure border tracking for all the major and minor entry points for incoming people from Andhra Pradesh and Telangana adjoining their districts to Odisha. Adequate police arrangement may be made for the tracking.

—Anyone coming to Odisha from Andhra Pradesh and Telangana by personal/hired vehicles/trains or entering the state in any other mode shall undergo mandatory institutional quarantine for 14 days in Cluster TMC to be managed by the Block Development Officers and Executive Officers of urban areas.

—The district administrations shall ensure appropriate facilities and logistic support to the cluster temporary medical centre (TMC). Such TMCs shall be operated as per the guidelines of the SRC office.

—People travelling from Andhra Pradesh and Telangana to other states through Odisha shall be allowed without disembarking from the vehicle en-route inside Odisha.

—The sarpanch, ward member and volunteers shall be mobilised to create awareness in their areas and further report to the BDO/police station/local authorities about any person coming from the two states not quarantined in institutional facilities.

—All passengers from Andhra and Telangana alighting at the airport in Bhubaneswar and Jharsuguda, or any railway stations in the state shall be mandatorily subjected to institutional quarantine/paid quarantine for 14 days at facilities identified and ordered by the District Magistrate/Municipal Commissioner or any officer duly authorised on his/her behalf.

—Any person(s), who has been successfully vaccinated (two doses) and produces a certificate to the effect or tested negative in RT-PCR test (report to be produced) within 48 hours before entering Odisha, may be allowed home quarantine for 7 days. If there is no suitable facility for home quarantine, he/she may opt for institutional/paid quarantine in identified facilities for 7 days. However, in case of non-compliance of the Covid protocols and home quarantine guidelines issued by the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare and the Health and Family Welfare Department of the state government, such persons shall be quarantined in institutional facilities for 7 days.

—Persons coming on emergency works related to COVID-19 management by the government and private hospitals as well as those coming in connection with any work permitted by the state government shall be exempted from this order. However, such persons shall strictly follow appropriate COVID-19 protocols and perform minimum necessary travel as would be required to perform the task for which he/she has been drafted for & not unnecessarily move around.

—The Transport Commissioner shall provide necessary assistance and guidance to the district collectors in operationalising the border check posts.

Any person violating these measures will be liable to be proceeded against in accordance with the provisions of Section 51 to 60 of the Disaster Management Act, 2005, the Epidemic Diseases Act, 1897 and regulations issued in the Act besides taking legal action under Section 188 of the IPC and other legal provisions as applicable.