Bhubaneswar: Senior BJD leader Kalikesh Singh Deo questioned the low level of testing for COVID-19 in Odisha, seeking to know the number of people being tracked by the state government.
Singh Deo, a two-time MP from the Bolangir Lok Sabha seat, said only 110 samples have been tested and this do not justify the lockdown in the state. Why such low level of sample testing. “What’s Odisha’s capacity of daily sample testing? How many ventilators & isolation wards available,” he tweeted, raising several eyebrows.
Only 110 samples tested don’t justify #OdishaLockdown How many people are we tracking. Why such low level of sample testing. What’s Odisha’s capacity for daily sample testing,? How many ventilators & isolation ward available #OdishaFightsCoronavirus @skilledinodisha @CMO_Odisha https://t.co/T6tO95eCK7
— Office of Kalikesh Singh Deo (@DeoKalikesh) March 24, 2020
Good. Its not new construction but converting existing beds into isolation within 2 weeks (new construction will take more than 2 yrs). Why not other hospitals & state guest houses also How many ventilators are planned and by when? Will it have testing centres- how many kits https://t.co/lAusUlbAxa
— Office of Kalikesh Singh Deo (@DeoKalikesh) March 26, 2020
Replying to a Twitter user, Singh Deo said that asking questions is part of the democratic process.
“I think governments need to trust their citizens with information,” he said.
Bolangir is home to thousands of migrant workers.
(PNN & Agencies)