I feel Odisha has done a great job of controlling the spread of Covid-19, says Anubhav Mohanty

Actor-MPAnubhav Mohanty finally landed in Bhubaneswar on Monday after being stuck in New Delhi for nearly two months owing to the lockdown. He took the first flight to Bhubaneswar along with his family members, who too were with him in the Capital.

Speaking to us after reaching the city, Anubhav said he was attending the budget session of Parliament when the lockdown was announced. “I was taking part in the discussions and was waiting for the last day of the session when the lockdown was announced all of a sudden. All flights were cancelled and despite trying, I couldn’t book a flight to Bhubaneswar. I was forced to remain in Delhi with my parents, both of whom are above 70 years of age, my brother, his wife and their two-year-old daughter. I reached Bhubaneswar around 8.40 on Monday morning. It felt so good coming back home after two months,” he told us.
Anubhav said he had even thought about taking a special train home. “But those had been arranged for migrant labourers. Had I tried to come home in one such train, I would have been occupying seats reserved for the labourers and that didn’t feel right,” he said, adding that he followed all lockdown norms and stayed indoors.

When asked about how he spent time during the lockdown, the actor-MP said that he worked from home and attended to calls from people in his constituency. “Many migrant labourers and non-resident Odias were calling me for help and I tried my best to help them,” he said, adding, “I was connecting the calls to the district magistrate of Kendrapara, my constituency and the control room so that their needs could be taken care of. I was also coordinating the effort of our team to provide food to the needy in the constituency. Besides, I was helping Odia people stranded in Delhi and surrounding areas and releasing video messages on social media advising people to follow lockdown norms.”

As his parents are in a highly vulnerable age group and Delhi has a high incidence of Covid-19, Anubhav told us that he took all precautions and even took permission when he had to venture out for social work. “I regularly fed strays in our area and helped people as much as I could. When I couldn’t, I took help from the Odisha government,” he said, adding that he and his family have to stay in home quarantine for two weeks now. “I am seeking permission from the authorities so that I can move to my constituency, where I will stay in quarantine and avoid gatherings. I have also registered on the state government portal for people coming from outside the state. We are waiting for the tests. If I get permission to visit Kendrapara, I will do my tests there,” he added.
When asked about the film industry and the tough times it’s going through, Anubhav said he has written to the chief minister to do something for the artistes and technicians. I hope things change for the better as soon as possible.
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