To Lockdown Or Not: Odisha Grapples With The Dilemma As COVID Cases Rise

Bhubaneswar: Will Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik take cue from Karnataka, Delhi, and other states that have/are going for lockdowns in a bid to flatten the COVID curve?

The Odisha government has thus far clamped night curfews and weekend shutdowns in selected locations, mostly urban, to deal with the alarming situation arising out of the resurgence of the COVID pandemic. Unlike last year when Odisha boasted of being the first Indian state to impose lockdown, the Naveen dispensation has this time around been more circumspect in announcing lockdowns and shutdowns.

“Initially lockdowns were welcomed as if it was some kind of a celebration. Many took it as a holiday,” a senior government functionary noted, adding, “Now, everyone realises the adverse impact it had on livelihood and the economy.”

This, understandably, is not lost on the state government, with the Chief Minister, in a video address on Sunday evening, spelling out clearly that he does not favour lockdowns.

However, with the COVID cases registering an upward trend and news of increasing number of deaths in different parts of the country, including Odisha, shaking the collective conscience, the life-versus-livelihood debate is gradually weighing heavy on the powers-that-be. Naveen and Co being no exception.

While Delhi has extended the lockdown till May 3 following a massive surge in COVID-19 cases, Karnataka, which has a test positivity rate (TRP) of 20 per cent, on Monday decided to impose a curfew for 14 days from 9 pm on Tuesday.

This has triggered the question: Would Odisha, which has been reporting over 6000 new cases for the last five days and reported a TRP of 16.64 per cent on Monday, follow suit?

The eastern state now has 49075 active cases. At least 15 of the total 30 districts in the state are in the red zone with over 1000 active cases. Khurda has the highest active cases of 8,383 followed by Sundargarh (5,888), Kalahandi (3,233), Cuttack (2,996), Nuapada (2,795), Jhasuguda (2,326), Bargarh (2,320), Sambalpur (2,113), Puri, (2,093), Balangir (1,762), Nabarangpur (1,792), Jajpur (1,272), Angul (1126), Mayurbhanj (1,093) and Ganjam (1,048).

According to official sources, the government is likely to avoid announcing a lockdown in the state till the by-election to Pipili Assembly constituency, which is slated for May 16. However, it might go for ‘selective lockdown’ in some of the northern and western districts if things continue to be serious.

Earlier in the day, Director Medical Education and Training (DMET) CBK Mohanty told the media that the COVID situation in the state seems to have reached a plateau with daily COVID-19 caseload in Odisha hovering between 6000 and 7000 for the last five days.

“Positive cases may decrease in the coming days but nothing can be specifically said as of now as infections in the western Odisha districts, bordering Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand, Madhya Pradesh, and West Bengal, are still on the rise,” he added.