New Andhra Strain: Berhampur SP Reviews Surveillance Measures at Girisola BCP

Berhampur: Berhampur SP Pinak Mishra today visited the border check post (BCP) at Girisola to review the surveillance measures to keep track of movement of people from the neighboring Andhra Pradesh.

As instructed by the State Government, the Berhampur Police is tightening its reins on Girisola BCP following the emergence of a new and more virulent strain of COVID-19 in Andhra Pradesh and Telangana, the SP said.

The SP interacted with the police personnel deployed at the check post and directed them to enforce the government guidelines strictly regarding entry of people to Odisha from the neighboring States.

He also discussed with other officials on the surveillance measures.

Notably, the Odisha Government has imposed stricter measures in the bordering districts to monitor flow of people from both the States.

Anyone coming to Odisha from Andhra Pradesh and Telangana by personal or hired vehicle, trains and flights will have to undergo mandatory institutional quarantine for 14 days in cluster temporary medical centres (TMCs).

The collectors of all border districts have been urged to set up check posts on all inter-state roads along Andhra Pradesh and Telangana to keep track of all those entering Odisha.

The Odisha Government’s prompt actions came after the Centre for Cellular and Molecular Biology (CCMB) has discovered N440K variant of COVID-19, which is being called the AP strain.

The strain first discovered in Kurnool, is considered to be at least 15 times more virulent than the earlier ones, and may be even stronger than the Indian variants of B1.617 and B1.618, according to reports.