Odisha Relaxes Lockdown Curbs, Allows Auditoriums, Cinema Halls To Open With Protocols | Full List of Guidelines Here 

Odisha Unlock Guidelines: People with double-dose vaccination certificate and Rapid Antigen Test and RT-PCR negative report will be allowed to attend events.

Bhubaneshwar: As the coronavirus cases have declined, the Odisha government on Saturday further relaxed the lockdown guidelines and allowed opening of auditoriums and cinema halls with COVID protocols. Apart from this, the Naveen Patnaik government also allowed cultural gatherings including jatras, melody shows, and other such activities adhering to COVID safety protocols, effective from Saturday.

Issuing a fresh order, Special Relief Commissioner (SRC) PK Jena said that cinema halls and theatres will be allowed to open with up to 50 per cent of capacity.

“Cultural gatherings/programmes including melodies, orchestra/jatra/opera, dances, cultural competitions, open air theatres/drama/street plays/other such performances and others will be allowed with due compliance to COVID-19 protocols,” the order stated.

Copy of the notification: 

Full list of guidelines:

• Open air theatres/jatra/opera will be permitted by the local authorities subject to compliance of COVID safety norms.
• Wearing of face masks, physical distancing are a must in public places.
• A total of 2,000 people will be allowed in such publich gatherings.
• The facility of online booking of tickets will be arranged by the organisers and sufficient number of counters will be opened to prevent crowding.
• For indoor halls, the number of viewers/spectators shall not exceed 50 per cent of the seating capacity.
• In closed places, the number of persons including invitees will not exceed 50 per cent of the hall capacity.
• People with double-dose vaccination certificate and Rapid Antigen Test and RT-PCR negative report will be allowed to attend events.
• People having symptoms of influenza like infection and severe acute respiratory infection will not be allowed to public events.
• Vulnerable groups such as persons above 65 years of age, persons with co-morbidities and pregnant women have been advised not to attend functions.
• Chewing of gutka and paan and spitting has been banned at these functions.

Corona cases: The development comes at a time when 239 more people tested positive for coronavirus in the state, pushing the total number of cases to 10,46,798. The state also recorded two fresh deaths that took the coronavirus fatality toll to 8,391.