BHUBANESWAR: With the dip in the daily infection count in the capital city being exceedingly slow and the test positivity rate (TPR) hovering over 10%, the Bhubaneswar Municipal Corporation (BMC) on Saturday reintroduced the micro-containment zones to bring down the cases.
The capital has been consistently reporting more than 300 cases for nearly a month with some days seeing the infections breach the 500-mark.
This despite the fact that that Bhubaneswar is the only place in the state where almost all the eligible residents have been administered at least the first dose of the Covid vaccine.
The city authorities blamed the long infection spell on cluster spread.
Anshuman Rath, the zonal deputy commissioner (southeast) of BMC, said, “A colony in Bidyut Marg having 25 quarters has been brought under containment as multiple Covid positive cases were reported from there.
The colony will remain under the active surveillance of both the BMC and police squads.
Neither can anyone leave the colony nor can anyone enter it without the BMC’s permission.
Essentials will be supplied through authorised vendors.” The city until Friday had more than 1,500 active cases with the total Covid caseload inching close to 90,000.
Some slum areas, too, have been reporting new infections for the past few days.
This is why the BMC wants to ramp up testing there.
At present, the city is testing around 4,000 samples a day.
In the northern zone, the BMC has brought Behera Sahi in Rudrapur under micro containment after several cases were reported from one locality.
“Around 35 families have been asked to remain under containment as some families have positive cases.
They will have to adhere to the Covid-19 norms and cooperate with the rapid response teams.
The spot Covid testing of rest of the family members will be done during the containment period,” Purandar Nanda, the zonal deputy commissioner (north), said.
One locality in the southwest zone has also been brought under containment following the detection of multiple infections.