Follow COVID-19 Norms During Festivals, Odisha CM Appeals To People

Bhubaneswar: Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik on Tuesday appealed to the people of the state to follow COVID-19 guidelines during the festival season ahead to prevent the disease from bouncing back.

Extending his puja greetings to the people in a video message, Naveen said they should not crowd public places during Durga Puja and Diwali and follow the norms like wearing masks and maintaining social distance, if they go outside. Besides, they should wash their hands on returning home.

Cautioning that carelessness may further spread the coronavirus, he requested to celebrate the festivals with the families indoors.

Citing the case of Kerala, he said the state was able to bring the spread of the disease under control to a large extent. But, the virus has spread alarmingly after Onam festival. Similar situation should not prevail in Odisha, said Naveen.

Stating that COVID-19 positive cases have come down in the last 2 weeks, the chief minister said while there were over 4,000 positive cases on September 26, the number has come down to less than 2,000 on Tuesday.

“Ganjam district, which was the hot spot of the state two months back, has been able to bring down the infection due to the cooperation of the people, community participation and efforts of COVID Warriors,” he said.

But this should not lead to complacency as the experts have warned that the COVID-19 outbreak may worsen during the coming winter months, Naveen said.

In case of European countries like UK, France and Spain also, the COVID-19 had taken a dangerous shape in March-April. Thousands of people died and then it subsided. But it has again become alarming, he said.

While there were over 1200 positive cases in UK on September 1, the country has reported over 17,000 cases on October 8. Similarly in France, the number of cases has gone up from 3,000 on August 31 to 26,000 on October 26.

Besides, the character profile of coronavirus is very critical. “We have to remain cautious until the vaccine and medicine for the disease are available,” he said.