Odisha Lockdown: State Extends Restrictions in 10 Districts Till Aug 1 | Full List of Guidelines Here

Odisha Lockdown News Today 15 July 2021: Issuing fresh order, the state government announced relaxations in restrictions as it allowed shops and commercial establishments to remain open from 6 AM to 5 PM in districts that fall in Category B.

Bhubaneswar: After reviewing the coronavirus situation in the state, the Odisha government on Thursday extended the partial lockdown in 10 districts till August 1. Issuing fresh order, the state government announced relaxations in restrictions as it allowed shops and commercial establishments to remain open from 6 AM to 5 PM in districts that fall in Category B.

Fresh guidelines:

1. In the fresh guidelines, the state government said the shops and business establishments in districts classified as Category A can remain open from 6 AM to 8 PM.
2. Notably, the Odisha government has decided districts in two categories based on the caseload and other parameters.
3. The state government said that the weekend shutdown will be in effect in 10 districts that have been classified under Category-B. These districts include Khordha , Puri , Nayagarh , Cuttack , Kendrapara , Jagatsinghpur , Jajpur , Balasore , Bhadrak and Mayurbhanj.
4. However, the public parks , shopping malls , cinema halls and schools will continue to remain closed.

Giving further details, Bijay Kumar Mohapatra, Director of Health, Odisha, said the state is following advice by experts and has “started training of the health workers in accordance with the suggested nature of the infection.”

Mohapatra further added that Odisha was under a partial lockdown till July 16 and the state administration was contemplating adding more districts with lower positivity rate.

He also added that the state will take a decision regarding unlocking of the state after the review and discussion with experts on the situation.

Corona cases: On Thursday, Odisha’s COVID-19 caseload mounted to 9,47,859 after 2,110 more people tested positive for the infection, while 66 fresh fatalities pushed the toll to 4,861. Of the 2,110 new cases, 1,213 were reported from quarantine centres, and the rest detected during contact tracing, the official said.

Khurda district, of which the state capital Bhubaneswar is a part, reported the maximum number of new infections at 458, followed by Cuttack at 323, Balasore at 168, Kendrapara at 132 and Puri at 113.

Nuapada district recorded the lowest number of new infections at two. Khurda reported 21 fatalities, followed by Bargarh and Sundargarh at 10 each, Balasore at eight, Sambalpur at seven, and Bhadrak and Mayurbhanj at two each.