Eight servitors engaged in the construction of the chariots of Lord Jagannath and his siblings in Puri have tested positive for Covid-19, authorities of the Shree Jagannath Temple said on Thursday.
All of them have been hospitalised.
“All the 250 servitors engaged in the construction of the chariots were in home isolation. When their swab samples were tested, eight of them were found Covid-positive. Contact tracing has begun. However, the construction work of the chariots has not been hit. It’s going on smoothly. We are committed to it,” said the Shree Jagannath Temple administrator (development), Ajay Jena.
Though, the administration claimed that it is handling the situation with all seriousness, the development has cast its shadow over the Rath Yatra scheduled for July 12.
“Its almost final that the Rath Yatra will be held like the previous year without the participation of devotees. A formal announcement would be made to this effect at the right time,” an official said.
On the other hand, like other states, Odisha is battling hard to contain the spread of coronavirus by intensifying the vaccination programme.
But casualties due to the virus continue to rise.
Eminent sculptor and Rajya Sabha member Raghunath Mohapatra had passed away due to Covid-19 on May 9. Raghunath’s youngest son died of Covid-19 11 days later.
Raghunath’s eldest son, Yasobant, succumbed to Covid-19 on Thursday.
Yasobant, 52, was admitted to hospital on Wednesday.
Raghunath was blessed with five children, including three sons.
The youngest one had passed away following a cardiac arrest two-and-a-half years ago.
The deaths from an eminent family has plunged the state in grief.
So far, 2,403 people have succumbed to Covid-19 in the state with 25 deaths reported in the last 24 hours. Similarly, 11,498 people tested positive for the virus on Thursday and the total case tally in the state has touched 655,899.
In order to check the spread of the virus to the rural areas, the state government has decided to launch a door-to-door campaign from May 24 with the help of accredited social health activist (Asha) and auxiliary nurse midwife (ANM) workers.
