COVID-19: Odisha authorities bans Bol Bom Jatra second 12 months in row

By PTI
BHUBANESWAR: In view of the prevailing COVID-19 state of affairs in Odisha, the state authorities Tuesday introduced a ban on the non secular actions and congregations of ‘Kaudias’ or ‘Bol Bom’ devotees.

The ‘Bol Bom’ devotees aren’t allowed to gather water from rivers, ponds, and different water our bodies and stroll on any public highway to supply it to the deity at any Shiva temple through the Odia month of Shravan (July/August), 2021, an order issued by the Chief Secretary stated.

The determination was taken after an evaluation of the COVID-19 state of affairs, the order stated.

This is for the second 12 months when the state authorities prohibited the ‘Bol Bom Jatra’ with the potential of a 3rd wave of COVID-19 looming massive this time.

During the annual pilgrimage, the ‘Kaudias’ stroll barefoot in teams chanting ‘Bol Bom’ to consecrate the holy water.

The devotees begin their barefoot journey to the Shiva temples on Saturday and Sunday to supply the holy water at Shiva shrines each Monday within the month of ‘Shravan’.

The authorities has already prohibited non secular capabilities and different gatherings until July 16, 2021.

All non secular locations are additionally closed for most of the people.

COVID-19 tally soared to 9,43,675 on Tuesday as 1,930 extra individuals examined constructive for the an infection, whereas a report 68 contemporary fatalities pushed the state’s coronavirus dying toll to 4,730.

The state registered its earlier highest single-day fatalities of 65 on July 11.

The Odisha authorities was compelled to halt the inoculation drive in 15 of the 30 districts because of a scarcity of vaccines, a senior well being official stated.

The state now has solely 3,49,930 doses of Covishield and three,09,530 Covaxin jabs.

Covaxin is being administered in Bhubaneswar and Berhampur cities, whereas the remainder of the state is getting Covishield doses.

The drive has been suspended in Angul, Balasore, Deogarh, Dhenkanal, Gajapati, Jharsuguda, Kalahandi, Kandhamal, Kendrapara, Koraput, Malkangiri, Nabarangpur, Nayagarh, Nuapada and Sambalpur districts.

As many as 217 vaccination websites functioned on Monday, whereas the inoculation drive is going down in solely 97 websites through the day, he stated.

Khurda district, below which Bhubaneswar falls, recorded the very best variety of contemporary circumstances at 431, adopted by Cuttack (220) and Balasore (134), one other official stated.

As many as 1,117 new circumstances have been registered in quarantine centres, whereas 813 contemporary infections have been detected throughout contact tracing.

Khurda additionally recorded the very best variety of contemporary fatalities at 17, adopted by Ganjam (seven), and Bargarh and Mayurbhanj (six every).

“This list does not reflect deaths occurring on a particular day. It gives details of past deaths for which the death audit process has been duly completed and the cause of death has been identified as due to COVID -19,” the Health Department tweeted.

Fifty-three coronavirus sufferers have died because of comorbidities up to now.

The state now has 23,492 energetic circumstances, whereas 9,15,400 individuals have recovered from the illness up to now, together with 2,937 on Monday.

Odisha has examined over 1.47 crore samples for COVID-19 so far, together with 62,410 on Monday.

The positivity charge stands at 6.41 per cent.

Meanwhile, the state administration has vaccinated over 10 lakh individuals in Bhubaneswar alone until July 12, of whom 5.43 lakh have acquired each doses, a civic official stated.