Dhenkanal: Fearing large-scale tourist inflow that could trigger a COVID scare in the region, the district administration on Friday declared the imposition of Section 144 in and around temple areas and tourist places in Dhenkanal.
The order issued by District Collector Saroj Kumar Sethi will come into effect from from December 25 and continue till January 2, 2022.
According to the order, all cultural and religious functions are forbidden during this period.
Under Section 144 of the Code of Criminal Procedure (CrPC), the assembly of five or more people is banned in and around one-km radius of the tourist spots.
Dhenkanal has many big and small tourist attractions and people flock to these places in large numbers during festivities and holidays. Places like Kapilas, Saptasajya, Naganatheswar temple, Joranda, Dandadhar and Saranga are tourist hotspots for people from far and wide and winter holidays especially see a large number of youngsters on outing at these places.
The restrictions have been imposed keeping in view the crowd that is expected to gather in and around the temples and other natural attractions during the festive season starting from Christmas and extending till the New Year.
On December 3, at least 53 students of Saikrupa Residential College at Kunjakanta in Dhenkanal town had tested positive for COVID and the institution was sealed thereafter by the administration. The area was declared a micro-containment zone for 10 days and social gatherings like weddings were restricted to not more than 100 people, along with strict night curfew and ensuring compliance of COVID protocols like wearing masks and maintaining social distancing.
The recent surge in Omicron wave globally has put the administration on alert.
