Odisha orders 7-day home isolation for people coming from 11 states, Chandigarh

The 11 states are Maharashtra, Kerala, Tamil Nadu, Chhattisgarh, Madhya Pradesh, Telangana, West Bengal, Punjab, Delhi, Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh. The union territory is Chandigarh.

Published on: Feb 26, 2021, 22:37:16 IST

By Debabrata Mohanty

Prefer HTon Google

Share via

Copy link

With the recent surge in Covid-19 cases, the Odisha government on Friday announced a seven-day mandatory home isolation for returnees from 11 states and the union territory of Chandigarh.

The Odisha government has directed that all passengers coming from these 11 states have to be screened at the point of arrival at airports and railway stations as per the protocol. (HT PHOTO).

“All the incoming passengers from those 11 states and union territory will remain under mandatory home isolation for 7 days. If during this period they develop any symptoms they will be subjected to a RT-PCR test. If found positive in the RT-PCR test, they will be treated as per Covid-19 treatment protocol. Any laxity can result in a resurgence of the pandemic in our state and ruin all our efforts over the past months,” Additional Chief Secretary (health) PK Mohapatra said.

The 11 states are Maharashtra, Kerala, Tamil Nadu, Chhattisgarh, Madhya Pradesh, Telangana, West Bengal, Punjab, Delhi, Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh. The union territory is Chandigarh.

In a letter to all Collectors, Municipal Commissioners, Directors of Bhubaneswar and Jharsuguda airport and General Manager (Operations) of East Coast Railways, Mohapatra has also directed the officials to take other precautionary measures at airports and railway stations to prevent the spread.

Mohapatra said all the passengers coming from those states have to be screened at the point of arrival at airports and railway stations as per the protocol. On-site Rapid Antigen Testing of all the symptomatic passengers has to be ensured. Wearing of masks and implementation of social distancing measures are to be strictly enforced. RT-PCR testing levels needs to be improved in all districts.

The Union health ministry too has accepted the request of the Odisha government and allowed 183 private hospitals empanelled under the Biju Swastya Kalyan Yojana as vaccination sites for inoculation of elderly people starting March 1.

The state government has now asked the district collectors, chief district medical officers and public health officers to verify whether the private Covid-19 vaccination centres have sufficient cold chain equipment and capacity, rooms/space for waiting area, vaccination and observation post-vaccination.

The government also asked the districts to verify whether these centres have sufficient number of trained vaccinators and verifiers and the ability to manage the Adverse Events Following Immunization (AEFI) as per the norms and guidelines of the health ministry.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Debabrata Mohanty
Debabrata Mohanty is a senior assistant editor of Hindustan Times who works as state correspondent from Odisha covering the state's politics, governance, public policy, natural disasters, environment and its society for close to three decades. With his long years of reporting from the state capital of Bhubaneswar, Mohanty has been known as one of the most experienced and credible journalists covering Odisha for the national English dailies. His reporting combines on-ground detail with deep institutional knowledge detailing the state's changing politics, governance issues, administrative reforms and the functioning of its public institutions. He has regularly reported on issues ranging from legislative developments and public policy implementation. Politics is his core areas of expertise as he closely tracks Odisha's political landscape, including the rise and transformation of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), the Biju Janata Dal (BJD), the two principal political parties in Odisha. His long association with the state's political establishment enables him to write on contemporary developments in a larger political context. Mohanty takes a deep interest in writing human interest stories, environmental issues and documenting the impact of cyclones, floods, heatwaves, and other climate-related events in one of the most disaster-prone states. His coverage extends to public health, governance reforms and stories on accountability of government institutions. Before joining Hindustan Times, Mohanty worked with The Indian Express, Mail Today, and The Telegraph, where he covered at least six general elections and as many assembly elections. In 2007, he was selected for the prestigious Chevening Young Indian Print Journalist Programme at the University of Lincoln, United Kingdom, where he received advanced training in print journalism. In 2009 he won the Press Institute of India-International Committee of Red Cross award on conflict reporting for his on-ground reportage of 2008 Kandhamal riots.Read More

Get the latest India News, breaking headlines and real-time updates from across the country. Stay informed about politics, government policies, crime, weather and major national developments.