Odisha Number of Covid-19 patients rises to 9

Bhubaneswar:3/4/20: Three persons of Bomikhal here tested positive for COVID-19 on Friday. This has raised the number of total patients in the state to 9.

Odisha government COVID-19 chief spokesperson Subroto Bagchi said up to 12 noon on Friday 1113 samples were tested. Bagchi said 124 contacts of the 3^rd and 4^th case have been identified. There are 30 contacts of the 5^th case, he added.

The spokesperson said the 6^th positive is from Cuttack and added that investigation is on to trace his contacts.

He said 60 persons are under hospital isolation today. From among 27 returnees from Hazrat Nizamuddin, seven persons are foreigners. Twenty-one cases have tested negative in the COVID-19 test while the sample of one person is positive.

The Odisha COVID-19 chief spokesperson told the media that in order to contain infections and to aggressively trace the contacts of 5^th and 6^th coronavirus positive patients and to intensify testing, the government has ordered for total shutdown for 48 hours in Bhubaneswar, Cuttack, and Bhadrak municipal areas.

All shops including grocery, vegetable, fruit and milk and all business establishments will remain shut during the lockdown.  Only health, police and limited emergency services will be available.