Coronavirus: Odisha to Provide Grant of Rs 15,000 to Foreign Nationals to Aid in Home Isolation

Guwahati, March 16, 2020:

The Odisha Government has decided to grant a sum of Rs 15,000 as incentive to foreign nationals to register themselves with the respective authorities and to put themselves on home isolation after it reported its first confirmed case of coronavirus on Monday.

Foreign nationals traveling to Odisha will have to register themselves by calling a toll free number - 104. The state government has taken adequate steps to sensitise and quarantine international visitors amid the growing concern of COVID-19's spread across the world.

In India, 114 cases of coronavirus have been reported. Two infected persons from Delhi and Karnataka have succumbed to the disease. Maharashtra is the worst-affected state with 37 confirmed cases.

ALSO READ: Coronavirus: Sikkim Places Blanket Ban on Tourists; Schools to be Closed till April 15

On Sunday, Prime Minister Narendra Modi did a video call with leaders of SAARC nations to discuss the coronavirus outbreak and steps to control the spread of the deadly disease. Prime Minister Modi highlighted that India made special efforts to tackle the problem while reaching out to vulnerable groups. He said that the country’s guiding mantra has been ‘prepare, but don’t panic’ in dealing with the coronavirus outbreak.

Most of the cases in India are from Kerala and Uttar Pradesh with 22 and 12 positive cases respectively after Maharashtra. The number of active cases in Haryana is 14.

Ladakh and Jammu and Kashmir also have 3 and 2 positive cases, respectively. Meanwhile, there have been no reports of any positive case from the Northeast region. The NE States have suspended cross-border passenger trains and buses to Bangladesh as a precautionary measure. Arunachal Pradesh, which shares a large porous border with China and Myanmar, was the first to close the border

ALSO READ: Coronavirus Crisis: Nagaland Imposes Blanket Ban on Tourists, Orders Shutdown of Educational Institutes till April 12

Schools, gyms, swimming pools, etc have also been shut in the Northeast states along with the national capital, West Bengal, Maharashtra and a few others.

Assam government on Sunday issued a directive to shut all schools, colleges, universities, gyms, swimming pools and movie halls till March 29 as part of its preparation to prevent the spread of COVID-19.

6,818 people have died globally due to coronavirus. 169610 confirmed cases of coronavirus have been reported across the world. 5, 921 people are in critical condition (https://www.worldometers.info/)

Support Inside Northeast (InsideNE), an independent media platform that focuses on Citizen-centric stories from Northeast India that are surprising, inspiring, cinematic and emotionally relevant.