The death rate in Odisha due to the novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic was not only the lowest in India, but also in the world, claimed Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik on May 28, 2020.
“This is a spectacular success of Odisha and its people,” Patnaik said in a video message.
He claimed that the most powerful countries and richer states in India could not achieve the kind of success Odisha did in its fight against the pandemic.
“Our first and foremost priority was to protect the people from COVID-19. Each and every life was precious for me. The most important thing was to save the lives of 4.5 crore people of Odisha,” Patnaik said.
Patanaik claimed that the situation did not deteriorate even as lakhs of migrant workers returned home. The state is in a better condition vis-a-vis other parts of the country because of the relentless effort, dedication and sacrifice of COVID-19 warriors, he claimed.
“COVID-19 warriors — people’s representative, government officials and non-governmental activists — have worked day and night. I am indebted to the common people who supported the government’s action whole-heartedly,” he said.
Patnaik also appealed to the people to sing Odisha’s state song Bande Utkala Janani while maintaining social distancing, at 5 pm on May 30 as a mark of respect to the state’s COVID-19 warriors.
Odisha recorded 1,660 cases positive to SARS-CoV-2 and seven deaths as on May 28, 2020. The active cases were at 766.
The cases were on the lower side (162) on May 3, when the state government allowed migrants workers to return home. According to officials, the tally increased after several migrant workers returned from Gujarat.
The highest number of positive cases, at 394, was recorded in Ganjam district. It was followed by Jajpur (253) and Balasore (139). At least 336,388 migrant workers had returned to Odisha from other states till May 27, 2020.