BHUBANESWAR: The State Government on Wednesday extended the partial lockdown further by 15 days with the relaxation of restrictions for 12 hours in 20 districts where the Covid-19 test positivity rate is below 5% and eight hours in the rest of 10 districts that have been recording a TPR of more than 5%.
The districts have been divided into two categories -- Category A and Category B -- on the basis of Covid caseload, TPR, and other relevant parameters.
The districts under Category A are Angul, Dhenkanal, Keonjhar, Sundargarh, Jharsuguda, Bargarh, Sambalpur, Deogarh, Kalahandi, Balangir, Nuapada, Sonepur, Ganjam, Gajapati, Kandhamal, Boudh, Koraput, Nabarangpur, Malkangiri, and Rayagada.
The Category B districts are Nayagarh, Puri, Khurda, Cuttack, Jajpur, Kendrapara, Jagatsinghpur, Bhadrak, Balasore, and Mayurbhanj.
Announcing the graded unlocking in the State from 5 am of July 1 till 6 am of July 16, Chief Secretary Suresh Mahapatra said the weekly shutdown will no more be imposed in the Category A districts, but it will continue in the rest 10 districts to contain the spread of coronavirus infection.
“The night curfew will remain in force across the state till the further decision of the government. While all types of shops including street food vendors are allowed to open from 6 am to 6 pm in Category A districts, the same relaxation is applicable from 6 am to 2 pm in Category B districts,” Mahapatra said.
Earlier, the government had relaxed lockdown restrictions for 12 hours in 17 districts. Three more districts -- Angul, Dhenkanal, and Keonjhar were added to the list due to improvement in the Covid situation.
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In a big relief to street food vendors, the government has allowed them to serve to take away food as per the relaxation window. Although salons have been allowed to operate during the relaxation period, all spa, beauty parlours, malls, cinema halls, bars, parks, gymnasiums, educational and coaching
institutions, exhibitions, fairs, swimming pools, jatra/opera, cultural, political, and religious congregations have been strictly prohibited.
The other relaxations given to the Category A districts include the opening of weekly and daily haats with the dispersed sitting arrangement and Covid appropriate behavior, inter-district and intra-district public transport, and operation of autorickshaw and taxi with only two passengers, Mahapatra said.
Inter-district and intra-district public transport by buses will remain suspended and weekly and daily haats will remain closed in Category B districts till July 16. Shops dealing with agriculture-related activities and animal fodder will remain open as per the normal time schedule during the graded unlocking period, he said.
Considering the demands of the cine artists' associations, the state government has allowed outdoor and indoor film shooting in Category A districts while only outdoor shootings are allowed in Category B districts.
The Chief Secretary said all other restrictions like social, political, and religious gatherings, opening up religious places, educational institutions, coaching centres will remain in force across the state.
Marriages have been permitted with approval from local authorities with not more than 25 persons and in case of thread ceremony and funeral/last rite, the number of participants has been capped at 20, including hosts, guests, and priests.
This is for the third time in the second wave of the Covid pandemic, the state government extended the lockdown after enforcing the curbs from May 5 to 19 in the first phase and from May 19 to June 1 in the second phase.
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