FOREIGN RETURNEES MUST REGISTER, VIOLATION TO ATTRACT PUNISHMENT;Tripathy, CHIEF SECRETARY, ODISHA
Bureau,Odishabarta
BHUBANESWAR:The Odisha Government has made registration mandatory for foreign returnees and the violators of the direction will face action.
Addressing newsmen at Gita Govinda Sadan here on Monday, Chief Secretary Asit Kumar Tripathy announced that passengers coming from foreign countries will receive Rs 15,000 incentive for registration and home isolation to prevent the outbreak of COVID-19.
He informed that the regulation will remain in force till April 15 and may be extended depending on the evolving situation.
The Chief Secretary said this has to be done within 24 hours of arrival with basic details and phone numbers. However, advance registration before arrival will be highly preferable. They will be required to be in-home quarantine for 14 days.
Tripathy warned that the direction was issued as per the overall regulations and anyone not complying the same will be punishable under the provisions of the Indian Penal Code and Criminal Procedure Code.
Those who have reached the state from abroad have been allotted with the registration timing from March 17, 6 am to March 19, 6 am- that is 48 hours. Those who are found guilty of flouting the direction will be dealt with severely, the Chief Secretary warned.
They have also been instructed to register in the toll-free number 104 or online portal https://covid19.odisha.gov.in.
Registrations can be done by the passenger or relatives of friends, he added. The initiative is being taken as a measure of abundant caution to protect the people of the state from getting infected by people who may be carriers of COVID-19 coming from abroad.
Tripathy said the measure would help the state in tracking persons and sensitizing them about home isolation and keep a watch on their health for effective monitoring of the situation.
Chief Spokesperson of Odisha government on COVID-19 Subroto Bagchi urged the people to remain calm at this critical hour and said awareness and effective measure to contain the deadly virus has to taken at the right earnest.
Bagchi said the data provided by the World Health Organisation by Monday afternoon indicated that COVID -19 has spread to157 countries affecting 1,70,187 persons. Out of this, 85,880 persons are still affected and 84,306 are out of the infection.
Bagchi said the number of affected persons in India has reached 115 till today and a single case has been detected in Odisha. The Italy returnee has tested positive in the state and is being treated, he added. The other 53 persons who have come in contact with the Italy returnee are being detected and added that the concerned doctor and his associate who had treated the youth before were kept in-home quarantine. The private hospital where the Italy returnee youth was treated previously was also sealed, Bagchi added.
The Chief Spokesperson said the Odisha government has taken elaborate measures to contain the spread of coronavirus in the state. The by-polls of gram panchayats scheduled to be held on March 24 has been postponed.
The school and mass education ministry has directed the closure of coaching institutes, tutorials, government, and private schools and postponed examinations from class one to eleven.
He said all the Kalyan Mandaps, community centres, cyclone relief centres, urban shelters, and other buildings have been kept ready for temporary quarantine. All the Aganwadi workers, ASHAs and volunteers at panchayat level have been directed to take up awareness campaigns and distribute IEC materials to the people.
Bagchi said the Aadhaar registration has been postponed till 31 March.
The presser was attended by principal secretary of women and child development, Mission Shakti and IEC chief Anu Garg, principal sectary of MSME Hemant Sharma, special secretary-cum-National Health Mission Shalini Pandit, secretary public relations, skill development and technical education Sanjay Kumar Singh and DMET Prof Dr CBK Mohanty.
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