Partial lockdown to continue in Odisha till Aug 1

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Bhubaneswar, July 15 (IANS) As there is no significant improvement in Covid-19 situation in 10 coastal districts, the Odisha government on Thursday announced extension of the partial lockdown till August 1.

Chief Secretary S.C. Mahapatra said, "The test positivity rate (TPR) of Odisha, which was 5 per cent on July 1, has now come down below 3 per cent. The daily infection cases have come down to 2,000 from 3,000 reported earlier in this month. Only Cuttack and Khurda districts accounted for 40 per cent of total daily cases of the State. It means the situation has not been fully improved."

So, the partial lockdown has been extended for another two weeks in the State. The prevailing categorization of districts (category A & B) will continue in the State and accordingly, the restrictions will be enforced, Mahapatra said.

As many as 20 districts (category A) with low infection rate will enjoy relaxations compared to the rest 10 districts (category B) from Friday.

Khurda, Cuttack, Puri, Balasore, Bhadrak, Jagatsinghpur, Jajpur, Kendrapada, Mayurbhanj and Nayagarh are in category B. The category A districts are -- Angul, Dhenkanal, Keonjhar, Sundargarh, Jharsuguda, Bargarh, Sambalpur, Deogarh, Kalahandi, Balangir, Nuapada, Sonepur, Ganjam, Gajapati, Kandhamal, Boudh, Koraput, Nabarangpur, Malkangiri and Rayagada.

While shops in the 20 A category district will remain open from 6 a.m. to 8 p.m., in Category B districts (coastal districts) the shops will open from 6 a.m. to 5 p.m., Mahapatra said.

Similarly, the weekend shutdowns will continue in the category B districts while there will be no weekend shutdown in the remaining 10 districts. However, night curfew will be in place all across the State, he stated.

Bus (only with seating capacity), taxi and auto rickshaw services will resume across the State from Friday. However, no bus services will be allowed to Puri till July 25 in view of Rath Yatra. Moreover, the state government has not permitted inter-state bus operation, the chief secretary said.

Gyms, parlours, spas and salons will reopen all across the State from Friday in adherence to Covid-19 protocols, while, schools, cinema halls, parks, exhibitions and malls will remain closed across the State, he informed.

Marriage ceremony and funeral restrictions will continue to remain in force while bars will remain closed. Restaurants will be allowed takeaways only and eating inside will not be allowed in the premises.

He further said that the ongoing ceiling on maximum attendance of 25 persons in weddings and 20 in funerals and last rites, curbs on community feast, socio-cultural and political gatherings will continue till August 1.

The State government has also allowed outdoor sports events without participation of spectators. Outdoor and indoor film shooting will also continue in all 30 districts of Odisha.

All economic activities including agriculture, fisheries, construction, and industrial will continue without any restrictions.

Parks, malls, cinema halls, exhibition, mela, Jatra, education institutions, bars, etc, which were not permitted in the last lockdown guidelines will continue to remain prohibited, Mahapatra further said.

Weekly haat and daily market will be allowed only in 20 less infected districts with strict adherence to the Covid protocols. However, the daily market and weekly haat will remain closed in 10 coastal districts, he added.

--IANS

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