In Bhubaneswar Over 40 Slums Are In COVID-19 Grip

Bhubaneswar : Bhubaneswar in Khurda district has emerged as corona hotspot with 1043 positive cases in the city, forcing the local administration to resort to unprecedented shutdown till July 31.

The Odisha capital saw the highest single-day spike of 124 cases on July 17. The virus has spread its tentacles to slums, colonies, apartments and hospitals. The BMC has lost its sleep over the outbreak of coronavirus in the city. Preventing infection from further spreading is now Bhubaneswar Municipal Corporation’s (BMC) top priority.

The imposition of shutdown, lockdown, containment zone was announced, but nothing helped. With 30 people testing positive every day till few days ago, the count has now gone beyond hundred. Spreading on everyday basis is only expected to continue in the city. There are restrictions on the movement of people.

However, the administration is mainly concerned about the city’s slums. More than 30 people have been evacuated from five small slums within Salia Sahi alone. The BMC has not been able to assess the accuracy though.

Of the 442 slums in the city, over 40 have been affected by the virus. About 30 percent of the victims are from the slums. More than half of the slums are expected to be affected by the end of July.

Surveys have been conducted in the slums by the BMC. Teams have been formed to inspect each of the slum dwellers in phases. If a person has symptoms, he or she will be tested immediately.

According to the BMC, the sixth phase of surveillance is currently underway in the slums. At least 434 teams have been formed by the BMC for the survey. A total of 43,000 people from 11,000 families in the slums are surveyed on a daily basis, a BMC official said.