ODISHA: The ‘Mo Bus’ will be in service in Bhubaneshwar from Monday, July 19 as Odisha records a steady decline in the daily COVID-19 tally. The bus service will be operating from 07:00 AM to 06:00 PM throughout the week (except on Saturday and Sunday). In an official statement, Dipti Mahapatro, General Manager, Capital Region Urban Transport, said that 87 buses will operate in the region on 16 routes. He also added that more buses and routes will be added over time.
The authorities have directed the public transport providers to not allow passengers to travel while standing and that the specified seating capacity should be kept in mind. Mahapatro also directed people to follow COVID-19 protocols while boarding the bus. He informed that the staff of the transport providers has received both doses of the COVID-19 vaccine.
On Sunday, July 18, Odisha reported over 2215 coronavirus cases with 66 deaths. As the caseload of the state has decreased, the death tally continued to surge with the total death of over 5000. Thus far, the state has tested over 1.50 crore samples for COVID-19. Odisha’s case-fatality ratio is one of the lowest in the country, at 0.53%.