Odisha Extends Partial Lockdown till July 1, Unlocks Borders with Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand

Odisha on Wednesday joined the bandwagon of states who have extended the Covid induced lockdown till July 1. The state announced partial lockdown for two more weeks till July 1 and divided the state into two categories depending on the Covid-19 positivity rate. Under Category A, there are 17 districts located in the southern and western parts of the state where the positivity rate is 5 percent or less, while 13 districts in coastal regions feature in Category B Odisha Chief Secretary Suresh Mahapatra said the restrictions will be in force till 5 am of July 1 while announcing a slew of unlocking measures to restart the economy.

The Odisha unlock guidelines are as follows;

• The 17 districts have been classified under Category A. The districts include Sundargarh, Jharsuguda, Bargarh, Sambalpur, Deogarh, Kalahandi, Balangir, Nuapada, Subarnapur, Ganjam, Gajapati, Kandhamal, Boudh, Koraput, Nabarangpur, Malkangiri and Rayagada.
• The remaining 13 districts with a positivity rate above 5 per cent have been classified under Category B. These districts are Khordha, Puri, Nayagarh, Cuttack, Kedrapada, Jagatsinghpur, Jajpur, Angul, Dhenkanal, Balasore, Bhadrak, Mayurbhanj and Keonjhar.
• The weekend shutdowns on Saturdays and Sundays will also continue across Odisha till the end of the month.
• Shops dealing in essential services can open from 6 am to 5 pm in 17 districts and from 6 am to 1 pm in 13 districts.
• All restrictions regarding marriage, cremation, meetings, social gatherings, the opening of temples will continue as per earlier guidelines.
• All essential services, transport of goods, industrial activities, construction activities have been allowed. Public bus services will remain restricted for now.
• Parks, gyms will continue to stay shut in all districts. Morning walks, cycling, and jogging activities have been permitted from 6am to 9 am.
• Shopping malls, salons, cinema halls will remain shut.
• Mohapatra said the borders with Chhattisgarh and Jharkhand will now be opened keeping in view the decline in Covid-19 cases in these states, but restrictions will continue along the borders with West Bengal and Andhra Pradesh.

Odisha’s logged in  3,535  Covid cases on Wednesday, while 44 fresh fatalities pushed the state’s coronavirus death toll to 3,432.

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