Bhubaneswar: As the situation due to diarrhoea outbreak remain grim in several parts of Odisha. the authorities in badly affected Jajpur and Bhadrak districts have ordered the postponement of reopening of educational institutions as a precautionary measure.
The administration of Jajpur has decided that all schools and Anganwadi centres across the district will remain closed until June 24. The decision has been taken as per a directive issued by District Collector P Anvesha Reddy.
However, school teachers and Anganwadi workers have been instructed to continue attending their respective institutions to ensure proper hygiene and sanitation.
In neighbouring Bhadrak, the district administration has also ordered the closure of all educational institutions, including colleges, till June 21 in view of the diarrhoea situation.
School and Mass Education Minister Nityananda Gond had earlier stated that the decision to reopen schools in diarrhoea-affected areas will rest with the respective District Collectors, depending on the prevailing situation. The Collectors of these districts have been authorised to take decision on extension of closure if the situation worsens.
Meanwhile, three joint teams comprising experts from the Centre and Odisha’s Health and Family Welfare Department visited Jajpur, Bhadrak, and Cuttack districts to assess the situation.
In Jajpur, Dr. Nilakantha Mishra, Director of Public Health, Odisha, and Dr. N. Somalkar from the Centre, along with officials from the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI), conducted a field visit.
Sources said these three teams of experts assessed the measures being implemented in the affected districts to combat the diarrhoea menace and provided necessary recommendations to local medical staff and field teams.
