Berhampur: COVID-19 situation in Ganjam district is taking a turn for the worse with the influx of thousands of migrant workers who were stranded in other states amid the lockdown.
Even though the district was in Green Zone till recently, arrival of migrant workers from April 28 has changed the scenario.
The district reported its first positive cases May 2 after two Surat returnees tested positive. As of Saturday, Ganjam tops the COVID tally in the state with 89 cases.
With thousands of migrant workers scheduled to arrive in coming days and several models estimating further rise in cases till June and July, the possibility of the situation in Ganjam getting even worse is particularly high.
According to superintend of MKCG Medical College and Hospital Dr Santosh Mishra, more than 30,000 Surat returnees have travelled to the district in buses and trains to reach Ganjam. Maintaining social distancing was near impossible during their journey. This is the reason why the carriers in them infected others though droplets and fomite transmission.
Mishra suggested that there should be complete shutdown in areas where quarantine centres are located and a rapid increase in testing to contain the disease.