Odisha intra-state bus, train services resume from today
About the COVID-19 situation in Odisha, the SRC said that the situation is well under control and there has been no fear of community transmission of the highly infectious disease as the government has ensured that each and every person returning from across the country is placed under mandatory quarantine and tested.
The Odisha government Sunday announced the resumption of intra-state movement of passenger buses, trains and other vehicles from Monday, a senior official said. Special Relief Commissioner (SRC) PK Jena told reporters that intrastate movement of two-wheelers, private vehicles, official vehicles, taxis including app-based cab aggregators will be allowed to operate from Monday. Similarly, the intrastate movement of trains has been given a go-ahead by following the Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) of the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) and the Railways.
Inter-state movement of passenger vehicles and buses can resume with mutual consent of the states involved, the SRC said.
The state government also revised mandatory quarantine norms and reduced the period of isolation to 14 days from 28 days for people returning to Odisha from other parts of the country.
The restrictions have been eased except in containment zones, he said.
The services were suspended amid nationwide lockdown in the wake of the coronavirus outbreak.
Meanwhile, major parks in the state capital were thrown open from Sunday after remaining shut for over two months due to the coronavirus lockdown.
At least four major parks including Buddha Jayanti Park, Madhusudan Das Park, Indira Gandhi Park and Biju Patnaik Park in the capital city have been opened for visitors with certain restrictions, an official said.
It has been made mandatory for the people visiting the parks to wear masks and maintain social distance.
Four-wheelers and auto-rickshaws will be allowed with up to two passengers apart from the driver, while intrastate buses, other passenger vehicles and city buses will be permitted to operate with its total sitting capacity, he said.
Nobody will be allowed to travel standing in the passenger buses, he said.
All passengers travelling across the state by any mode of transport will have to wear face masks and persons with visible COVID-19 symptoms will not be permitted to travel, Jena said.
As domestic flight services are resuming from Monday, the government has appealed to people to report to the authorities if someone from outside arrives in their area, he said.
Referring to people returning to the state by trains, Jena said, prior information about the passengers travelling to Odisha should be communicated to the government so that necessary arrangements can be made for the returnees.
He said, 12 Special Shramik trains had left for Odisha from Telangana on Saturday but no information was shared with the state government.
Uninformed arrival of so many people may create problems in COVID-19 management, he said.
Regarding changes in quarantine norms, the SRC said, the quarantine period for returnees to the state will be limited to 14 days and it will be enforced by municipal bodies in towns and cities.
Returnees in rural areas will undergo seven days of mandatory institutional quarantine, after which asymptomatic people will be discharged to undergo home-quarantine for a further period of seven days, he said.
If the local authorities find it necessary for reasons related to containment of COVID-19, they may extend the period of institutional quarantine of the returnees, the SRC said.
In urban areas, every person on return from outside Odisha will have to compulsorily stay in home quarantine for a period of 14 days, observing guidelines issued by the Health and Family Welfare Department.
If the returnee does not have a proper quarantine facility at home, he/ she will undergo institutional or paid quarantine for a duration as directed by the local authorities.
However, government officials, professionals, businessmen or any other person travelling to Odisha on work and intending to exit within three days are exempted from quarantine rules, the SRC said.
Similarly, government officials, professionals, businessmen or any other person who have travelled from Odisha on work and are returning to the state within three days of departure from Odisha are also exempted from quarantine norms, he said.
About the COVID-19 situation in Odisha, the SRC said that the situation is well under control and there has been no fear of community transmission of the highly infectious disease as the government has ensured that each and every person returning from across the country is placed under mandatory quarantine and tested.
Sarpanches and self-help groups (SHGs) are playing a major role in the drive against coronavirus, he said.
Odisha has till now reported 1,335 COVID-19 cases, while 550 people have recovered from the disease and seven have died. So far 1,23,834 samples have been tested for the disease in the state, officials said.
(With PTI inputs)
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