Odisha: Puri court, collectorate shuts after lawyer and 3 accused test Covid-19 positive

BHUBANESWAR: The Puri court and several offices of the district administration (collectorate) in the town were closed on Wednesday after a lawyer and three accused persons tested positive for Covid-19 virus.
The district administration has declared the areas between Town Hall Chhak and Harihar Chhak in Puri town a containment zone. “I ordered immediate closure of the district court and other subordinate courts functioning on its premises. This apart, offices of the collectorate, tahasil, sub-collectors, district rural development agency will remain shut,” Puri district collector Balwant Singh said.
“I appeal to all, including judicial and government officials, not to visit the offices in the containment zone till our contact tracing and follow-up actions are completed,” Singh added.
In his order, Singh said a lawyer, who is also a member of the district child welfare committee, tested positive for coronavirus on Tuesday. “Three accused persons who were produced before court between June 11 and June 15 also tested positive,” it said, adding that a moharir of the court was also infected.
Puri SP Uma Shankar Dash said 11 police personnel of the Kanas police station and 7 of the Gadishagada police station were sent into home quarantine as they were among close contacts of the three infected accused. All the three accused had undergone mandatory Covid-19 tests following their arrest in separate cases.
“We wonder as to why didn’t the administration take precautions when an accused person, who was produced in the court here on May 15, subsequently tested positive for the virus. Neither the court was closed nor the area was declared a containment zone. The people are now panic-stricken,” advocate and social activist Debasis Das said.
While Puri is gearing up for the Rath Yatra on June 23 amid the coronavirus pandemic, the district has so far recorded at least 174 positive cases. Of the total cases, 102 people have recovered. The district has 72 active Covid-19 cases and 11 containment zones.
Inspired By