The Odisha government on Friday declared coronavirus as a “state disaster” and ramped up measures to tackle its spread, including closing schools and colleges among others, as the number of infected people went up across the country.
Two people have died of Covid-19 and the number of coronavirus patients in the country has risen to more than 80, including foreign nationals, so far.
The Biju Janata Dal government ordered the closure of all educational institutions, cinema halls and swimming pools in the state till March 31 and asked people to avoid non-essential gatherings and assemblies like religious functions and wedding parties.
Chief minister Naveen Patnaik, who chaired a cabinet meeting on measures to contain the spread of the coronavirus in the sate, told the assembly that Covid-19 has been declared as a “state disaster” under the provisions of Disaster Management Act, 2005 to adequately empower public officials to combat its spread.
The COVID-19 Odisha Regulations, 2020, have been approved, the chief minister said.
Patnaik said Rs 200 crore has been earmarked to augment the Public Health Response Fund to combat the threat of the pandemic and for making the required expenditure.
“The last 45 days have seen human beings as a race facing one of the biggest challenges of the century. We are faced with a threat that does not discriminate between developed countries and underdeveloped countries between democratic or non-democratic countries,” he said in the assembly.
“Rich and poor societies all are equally vulnerable. UK’s health minister, the first family of Canada, senators in the US, half of Iran’s cabinet, major movie stars, sportspersons – the virus has not spared anyone,” he added.
{{/usCountry}}“Rich and poor societies all are equally vulnerable. UK’s health minister, the first family of Canada, senators in the US, half of Iran’s cabinet, major movie stars, sportspersons – the virus has not spared anyone,” he added.
{{/usCountry}}The state assembly was suspended until the end of March.
Further measures
An empowered group of ministers has been constituted and a committee of secretaries under the chief secretary would be constituted to evaluate the emerging situation and take all necessary steps for preventing, containing the spread of coronavirus in the state.
Patnaik said the health and family welfare department and its directorates, as well as the district collectors and the municipal commissioners, have been authorised for making emergency procurement of necessary drugs and consumables, equipment and other required services etc. as are necessary to prevent, contain coronavirus.
Competent officers have been authorised to impose required restrictions on assemblies, congregations, institutions and establishments aiming at ‘social distancing’ to contain the spread of the virus by invoking powers under the Epidemic Diseases Act, 1897 and the Code of Criminal Procedure, 1973.
“This extraordinary circumstance calls for an extraordinary response. This response cannot be only at the individual, government or sectoral level. Each one of us in Odisha has to rise to the occasion and be responsible. In the absence of any vaccine or treatment, our collective responsibility is the only hope we have, to fight this epidemic,” said Patnaik.
The chief minister advised people to remain at home, reduce social interactions and avoid gatherings and go for frequent hand washing and adhere to strict sanitisation protocols. He also appealed to the people to stop chewing and spitting betel leaves in the open to stop the virus from spreading.
In Bhubaneswar and Cuttack, police have cancelled all permissions given for holding processions and protests.
The state government also announced the opening of an additional coronavirus ward in the SCB Medical College and Hospital with 60-100 beds for infected patients.
Numbers
In Odisha, so far 21 samples of suspected cases of coronavirus, including an Irish as well as a Japanese national, have tested negative.
Officials said 141 people, who returned from coronavirus-affected countries after January 15 and identified by the state surveillance system were kept under isolation facility as well as home quarantine as per the protocol.
In the latest case of suspected coronavirus, a couple from Titlagarh in Bolangir district who had returned from Canada were advised home isolation. Though the couple did not show any symptom of the virus infection, they will be kept under home isolation.