OdishaPlus Bureau
Odisha’s Ganjam district has now become a “super hot spot”. The government’s concern has been heightened as the district has the highest number of coronavirus. The state government has appointed three IAS officers in Ganjam district to control the spread of the pandemic.
All the victims identified from Ganjam district have been Surat returnees. Hundreds of people from Surat have come to Ganjam in the last few days, and their samples have been found to be COVID positive. Most importantly, hundreds of people in Ganjam are still trapped in various states. They will arrive in a few days. If that happens then the situation is likely to get worse.
Why super hotspot?
Khordha district was already on the hotspot list. Khordha was in the hotspot zone as four cases were reported in the district. Then there were Jajpur, Baleshwar and Bhadrak in the hotspot zone. 60 cases have been identified in Jajpur, 42 in Baleshwar and 31 in Bhadrak. However, Ganjam district has surpassed all these numbers. While on Saturday, in just one day, 73 cases were reported from the district.
125 Corona positive in 7 days
On March 15, the first coronavirus patient was identified from Bhubaneswar. The virus was identified from a young Italian returnee. Later, the number of COVID positive patients in Bhubaneswar increased. After Bhubaneswar, the victims were identified from Bhadrak, Cuttack, Jajpur, Balasore. However, the densely populated Ganjam district was safe. Since the arrival of hundreds of Oriya villagers from Surat, the fear of Corona has frightened the entire district. Before the start of the third phase, four buses arrived in Surat from Ganjam. More than 200 people came with the bus. The bus, which took off on April 28 with the permission of the Surat district administration, reached Ganjam district on April 30.
Arrival of Buses from Surat
Then one by one buses came to different parts of Ganjam. They were quarantined at the behest of the state government. On May 2, the coronavirus first touched Ganjam district. The virus was detected in two people from among the Surat returnees.
Surat returned have now become a headache for Ganjam district. But a week ago, the number of corona positives in the district was “zero”, but now it is over “hundred”. As a result, the district of South Odisha has reached number one among the corona-infected districts. So find out how the number of victims in Ganjam district has gone from ‘zero’ to ‘hundreds’
First positive on May 1st
The second phase of the lockdown across the country ended on May 3 and Lockdown 3.0 began on May 3. However, before the start of the third phase of lockdown, four buses carrying migrant Oriyas stranded in Surat returned to Ganjam. More than 200 people returned to Odisha. The bus, which took off on April 28 with the permission of the Surat district administration, reached Ganjam on April 30. Then, for the first time, a corona positive case was identified in Ganjam district on May 2. Two young men who came from Surat were diagnosed with the coronavirus. Then the numbers began to rise again. On the 4th and 5th, two more positives were identified in the district. But the fact that four positives were detected in four days, deprived the district administration of sleep. As the number of victims in the district increased, so did fear in the minds of the people.
Ganjam in the Red Zone
After the opening of the second phase lockdown, the central government launched a workers’ special train. Workers stranded in other states can return to their home countries by train. Many people trapped in Surat returned to Odisha. The highest number was in Ganjam district. After the return of Surat returnees to Odisha, the number of positive cases in Ganjam district began to rise. Soon, Ganjam district topped the list of infected districts, toppling Jajpur and Bhubaneswar.
The district was in a state of panic after rapid increase in COVID positive cases. On 9th May, 71 positives were identified at once in the district. As a result, the state government brought Ganjam district from Green Zone to the Red Zone. Ganjam had a high influx of returned individuals from Surat to Odisha.
Hundreds of victims
On Sunday, 29 more people were identified in Ganjam district as positive. They all returned from Surat, as per the Health and Family Welfare Department, Odisha. As a result, the number of coronavirus cases in the state has now exceeded 350, while in Ganjam district alone; the number of COVID positive cases has exceeded 100. Currently, the total number of coronavirus affected in Ganjam district stands at 125.
One death in Ganjam
On the other hand, a coronavirus victim died in Ganjam district on Sunday. As a result, the death toll in the state has risen to three. More expatriates are expected to return to Ganjam district in the coming days. As a result, the number of positives in the district is expected to increase. However, people are wondering how the state government and the Ganjam district administration would be controlling the spread of coronavirus.