Will Odisha Enforce Lockdown With COVID Third Wave Knocking At Door?

Bhubaneswar: While epidemiologists and health experts have predicted a third wave of COVID if cases continue to rise for another two weeks, a senior health official on Monday clarified that there was no need for enforcing curbs like night curfew and lockdown in Odisha as of now.

Briefing the media in Bhubaneswar, Public Health Director Dr Niranjan Mishra said that the situation in Odisha is better in comparison to other states. “Night curfew or lockdown is clamped taking into account several factors, including overall infection rate, test positivity rate (TPR), total active cases, daily infection rate and hospitalisation rate,” he said.

Odisha now has 1572 active cases. The state registered a TPR of 0.22 per cent on Monday with 123 more cases being detected in the last 24 hours. Currently, night curfew is being enforced in all urban areas from 10 pm to 5 am.

However, the government has banned parties like the Zero Night celebration, Welcome to New Year in hotels, clubs, restaurants, parks, convention halls and Kalyan Mandaps have been completely banned across the state. A recent order said that there will be no celebration other than marriage (but not receptions and ancillary functions) and community feasts, social gatherings, rallies, orchestras, dances and other cultural programmes will not be permitted. Funeral rites will be allowed with strict adherence to COVID-19 protocols.

Also Read: COVID Guidelines For December; No Zero Night Celebrations In Odisha

Restrictions will be enforced if the transmission rate increases in coming days and the positivity rate touches 10 per cent, he added.

Stressing that the situation is in control in Odisha, he said that 18 foreign returnees had tested positive for COVID-19 recently and among them, samples of eight, including a 9-year-old who had landed in the state from Nigeria, have been found infected with Omicron variant.

Notably, the Union Health Ministry had earlier asked states to impose night curfews and declare containment zones in districts with either a 10 per cent positivity rate or if occupancy in oxygen-supported or Intensive Care Units rises to 40 per cent.

Also Read: Omicron Scare: Night Curfew & Tough Restrictions Back In These States

Meanwhile, night curfew is back in several states amid a rise in Omicron cases. Section 144 is also being clamped to prevent large gatherings.