Surveillance to continue in Bhubaneswar to detect hidden COVID-19 cases: BMC

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Emphasizing that aggressive surveillance will continue in the state capital to detect hidden COVID-19 cases, the Bhubaneswar Municipal Corporation Saturday said the focus is on Bamikhal, BJB Nagar, Goutam Nagar and Surya Nagar in the city. BMC Commissioner P C Chaudhury also advised residents of these localities to cooperate with the government, observe 14-day home quarantine and volunteer to get themselves tested if they have any symptoms of the deadly virus.

Chaudhury said the 60-year-old man from Surya Nagar, who tested positive for the COVID-19 on March 26, had already spread the disease to seven other persons. Apart from the mans wife and daughter, five tenants of the 60-year-old man, also tested positive for coronavirus.

Though it was initially considered that the man did not have any travel history, later it was ascertained that his family had links with Kolkata, Chaudhury said, adding that the

entire Surya Nagar area has been declared as a containment zone and sealed. Speaking about the Bomikhal incident, where three brothers of a family tested positive for the coronavirus on Friday, Chaudhury said that they too had a link with Bhopal, where their father has tested positive for the virus.

Bomiikhal area has also been declared a containment zone and sealed, he said. The lone COVID-19 patient from Puri district, who was working as a postman in BJB Nagar post office, had distributed letters in BJB Nagar, Goutam Nagar and court areas, he said. The postman had been to Delhis Nizamuddin and tested positive for the virus on Friday, he added.

Stating that the government has undertaken aggressive surveillance in these areas, the BMC commissioner said contact tracing is on. Meanwhile, the Odisha government on Saturday said street lights, lights in hospitals and other essential services will remain on at 9 pm on Sunday.

In his 9 am video message to the nation on Friday, Prime Minister Narendra Modi urged people to switch off lights of their homes at 9 pm for nine minutes on April 5 and light
up lamps, candles and mobile flashlights to display the nation's collective spirit to defeat coronavirus. In view of the Prime Minister's appeal to switch off lights at 9 pm on April 5, people may continue running other appliances such as TVs, refrigerators and ACs in their homes without any apprehension, Odisha governments COVID-19
spokesman Subroto Bagchi said.

Similarly, street lights along with lights in Hospitals and other essential services will remain on, Bagchi said, adding that the housing societies and residential apartments have been requested not to switch off their main supply at the feeder.

People are also requested to switch on the lights of their homes after 9.09 pm, progressively, with some time intervals, he said.