The migrant workers have so far remained in institutional quarantine, leaving no room for the community spread of COVID-19 in Odisha’s Ganjam district.
Residents are enjoying the relaxations in the lockdown, despite the increase in the number of cases. Ganjam is a red zone, with 71 cases, including 43 reported on Friday. The first case was reported on May 3. Most persons who tested positive were migrant workers who returned from Gujarat’s Surat, a hotspot.
From April 29 till Thursday, over 27,000 migrant workers have returned to Ganjam by 283 buses and on 12 trains. Three more trains with the Surat returnees would reach Ganjam on Friday night. More special trains are expected to transport migrants from Surat to Ganjam in the coming days. On Friday, the State deputed three IAS officers to help the Ganjam administration in the fight against COVID-19.
Till Friday, Ganjam were spared community spread because all returnees were taken to quarantine centres from buses and trains.
Ganjam Collector Vijay Amruta Kulange said all COVID-19-positive persons were in quarantine centres, so there was no chance of community spread. The quarantine centres, where positive cases were found, had been declared prohibited areas. Only trained persons were allowed to enter them.
Initially, Surat returnees were unruly at some centres. But they comfort themselves properly now. On May 3, over 100 returnees escaped from two centres in the Kodala block. But they returned to complete the quarantine period. Some of these returnees posted video-messages, in which they vowed not to repeat such a mistake and to help to stop community spread. At several centres, these returnees are trained in yoga to keep them calm.
On Friday, the State increased the quarantine period from 14 days to 21 days. This will be followed by seven days of home quarantine. “This decision may have been taken because there have been some cases in which the incubation period of the virus was found to be 18 days to 20 days,” said Sunil Kota, a senior physician. Dr. Kota said that by adhering to the quarantine norms, the returnees were not putting the lives of their fellow citizens in danger.
