Bhubaneswar: The Odisha government has extended the lockdown in the state. Amid growing concern over the increasing daily Covid-19 cases, Chief Secretary Suresh Chandra Mahapatra Tuesday announced that the lockdown has been extended till June 1 morning.
During this period, the earlier relaxation of six hours to buy essentials from nearby markets has been reduced to four hours from 7:00 am to 11:00 am. People have been asked to go on foot to the shops.
Similarly, the number of guests at marriages has been reduced to maximum 25 including groom, bride and priest. Earlier it was 50. However, no feast will be allowed for any marriage and funeral like events. The guests can instead be given packaged food, he announced.
Strong action will be taken against those who will roam outside without any emergency or urgent nature of work.
The essential services will continue as it did. There will be no restriction on movement of goods.
Agriculture and allied activities will continue. Construction works and related stores will be allowed to remain open. The staff of central government, state government and private offices will be reduced substantially.
The first lockdown in the second wave of the pandemic was announced May 4 and it will expire May 19. It was then believed that the lockdown would help reduce the cases. But instead of that, the state had been registering over 10, 000 cases daily.
PNN