Coronavirus cases in Odisha crossed the 10,000 mark on Tuesday with the single-day high of 571 cases. The state’s Covid-19 count stands at 10,097 positive cases and 42 deaths.

The Covid-19 positivity rate in the state has surpassed the national average of 6.73 per cent and is inching towards 10 per cent. Till July 1, the positive cases per 100 tests was 4.6 per cent. On May 20, the number of positive cases in the state was only 1,052.

While the condition in Cuttack, Khurda and Ganjam has worsened because of the pandemic, the situation in the capital has turned out to be a major concern for the administration.

After shutting down the outpatient departments of several reputed medical institutions of the state due to the spike in coronavirus cases, the office building of software firm Tech Mahindra in Bhubaneswar was sealed on Tuesday for alleged violation of standard operating procedures related to Covid-19 management.

“Seven employees of the company have tested positive. We have asked all the 67 staff of the company to undergo home quarantine till July 20. We will send swabs of all the employees for Covid-19 testing,” said Bhubaneswar zonal deputy commissioner (North) Pradmod Prusty.

Sources said the first Covid-19 case was reported on the third floor of the office building on July 3. Later, 32 employees were asked to undergo home quarantine.

But as more Tech Mahindra employees tested positive for Covid-19, the Bhubaneswar municipal administration decided to seal the building for 14 days.

Worried over the rise of cases, the Naveen Patnaik government on Tuesday brought the Covid-19 management under the ambit of its Mo Sarkar (my government) programme.

The Mo Sarkar programme is monitored by the 5T (teamwork, technology, transparency, transformation and timeline) department headed by the chief minister’s private secretary, V.K. Pandian. Henceforth, Naveen will personally oversee the management of the Covid-19 situation in the state.

The chief minister on Tuesday held a review meeting of officials through video conferencing on Covid-19 management.

He directed the officials to take direct feedback from the coronavirus patients and frontline workers.

Urging the public to use masks, wash hands regularly and maintain social distance, the chief minister reminded the people how Covid-19 cases were increasing in the state daily and one lakh cases were being detected every four days in India.

“Self-restraint, discipline and sacrifice are the only weapons that will bring us victory in the fight against Covid-19,” Naveen said.

He said the situation will only improve after a vaccine against coronavirus is launched.

He also directed the officials to carry out antigen tests in all the health institutions and hotspot districts.

Following the direction, the Ganjam district administration announced it would start antigen tests from Tuesday onwards. “We got rapid antigen test kits. We are going to start it from today onwards as per guidelines,” tweeted Ganjam collector Vijay Amruta Kulange.

The Ganjam district administration also announced that there will be strict adherence to social distancing norms in public places.

“Shopkeepers will be fined Rs 5,000 and their shops closed for 15 days for the first violation of Covid-19 social distancing norms. If the shop concerned violates norms for a second time, an FIR will be lodged against the owner and the shop will be closed for a month,” the collector said.