COVID-19 negative report must to visit Jagannath Temple
The district administration in Odisha's Puri, where the iconic Shree Jagannath Temple attracts lakhs of visitors, on Tuesday made it mandatory for travelers from five states to produce RT-PCR negative reports at the railway station and bus stands in view of spiraling cases. The coastal state reported 588 fresh infections on Tuesday, pushing the tally to 3,43,856.
The final vaccination certificate will also be accepted
Producing certificates of two vaccine doses will also be accepted, Puri District Magistrate-cum-Collector Samarth Verma said. The restriction is imposed on visitors from Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Punjab, and Kerala. "We have made a negative RT-PCR test report (72 hours before the start of the journey) mandatory for people coming to Puri. The final vaccination certification will also be verified," said Verma.
Passengers will be tested at the railway station
Special arrangements have been made at the railway station for COVID-19 testing of passengers from the five states. Those who test positive will either undergo home isolation or institutional quarantine. Of the fresh coronavirus cases, Khurda district reported the highest number of 105 new infections, followed by Sundergarh (84), Kalahandi (64), Jharsuguda (31), Cuttack (30), and Nuapada (29).
Till now, Odisha has reported over 1,900 deaths
The death toll due to coronavirus infection remained unchanged at 1,922 as no fresh fatalities have been reported in the state since Sunday. Odisha now has 3,731 active cases, while 3,38,150 patients have recovered from the disease so far. It has thus far conducted over 92.13 lakh sample tests, including 25,005 on Monday, the official said.
Vaccine stock in the state is less than what's required
Amid reports of vaccine shortage in the state, Health and Family Welfare Director Bijay Panigrahi said 3.47 lakh doses of Covishield are in stock, and Odisha will receive another 3.49 lakh doses by afternoon. "However, the quantity is inadequate and will last for only three days," he said. In the past five days, over 11 lakh people were vaccinated against the targeted 10 lakh.
