Soro: Resentment is brewing among the inmates of quarantine centres within Soro block and Soro municipality areas in Balasore district as random collection of swab samples in these centres has been stopped over reasons not yet known.
Of the total 11,290 expats registered with the state government for their return to Soro block and Soro municipality, only 2,240 have so far arrived.
These returnees are now spending the stipulated period in the quarantine centres. Initially, the administration was collecting swab samples from the inmates. Of 2,240 returnees, swab samples were collected from 1,232.
Sources close to the block administration said samples of symptomatic inmates would only be collected at Jyoti COVID-19 Hospital in Balasore town and not in the quarantine centres. Besides, swab samples will be collected only from those inmates who have COVID-like symptoms.
Opposing this decision, the rest of the inmates have been demanding for test and at the quarantine centres.
Notably, there are 30 quarantine centres in 24 panchayats of Soro block. While a total of 1,743 returnees were quarantined in these centres, 331 of them have already returned to their homes after completing 21-day long quarantine period.
Similarly, 66 inmates of three quarantine centres in Soro municipality area have been sent to their homes after their swab test reports came out to be negative for the infection. 100 returnees are presently in quarantine in these centres.
Students, differently-abled, children and pregnant can avail home quarantine facility but for this, they have to get permission from the district collector. Four such inmates are now under home quarantine, it was learnt.