By Our Correspondent
BHUBANESWAR: Odisha Chief Secretary Asit Tripathy has issued a set of instructions to be scrupulously adhered in matters related to areas declared as containment zones across the State. Odisha so far reported 60 positive cases while 1 died and 19 discharged from various COVID-19 hospitals and rest under active cases. Out of the total, State Capital, Bhubaneswar alone reported 46 positive cases forcing the Naveen Patnaik led Government to divide into 3 zones and deputing 6 senior IAS officers to man it.
“The district administration/municipal administration needs to function in tandem with the health authorities. The notification of containment zones will be subject to clearance by the Principal Secretary, Health or any senior officer authorized by the concerned authority and the area under these zones will encompass relevant contagious vulnerable area only,” a letter written by Tripathy said.
Tripathy in a letter to the DGP and all Additional Chief Secretaries, Principal Secretaries/ Commissioner-cum-Secretaries, Collectors/ Commissioner of Police, Municipal Commissioners, Executive Officers of Municipalities/ NACs has stated that Containment Zones will be established to contain the disease and establishment of these zones will be based on technical considerations.
The containment zones should be barricaded from all sides prohibiting entry and exit of people and a vulnerability mapping will be done for households with single women, aged persons with no support, pregnant women, seriously ill persons and persons with disabilities and have focused attention planed for them, Chief Secretary Tripathy ordered.
Once an area is contained, teams of Anganwadi workers, ANMs and other health workers and teachers will visit house to house to check health conditions of the people in the zone.
“The samples of all the people having flu like symptoms shall be collected and tested to find out the possible infections. Samples of asymptomatic persons may also be collected at random to rule out any local transmission,” said the order.
The Chief Secretary has further ordered that the concerned Municipal Commissioner/ Collector will take all possible steps to provide essential commodities, medicines and other requirements at the door steps of every family in the area declared as containment zone.
