Amid the rising coronavirus COVID-19 cases in Odisha, the state government on Sunday (May 2) announced to impose a 14-day complete lockdown in Odisha from May 5. The total lockdown in Odisha will be in place till May 19 and the lockdown will remain in place in all 30 districts.
The order issued by the state government on Sunday said that strict restrictions will be enforced prohibiting the movement of public and vehicles. However, residents will be allowed to purchase essential items from nearby their houses by walking to only 500 metre distance between 6 AM and 12 PM.
The state government, however, announced that there will be no restrictions on movement of vehicles or persons providing healthcare and essential services. The weekend shutdown restrictions will remain in force in all urban areas on Saturdays and Sundays. It may be recalled that the Odisha government had earlier imposed a weekend curfew in the 20 urban districts of the state to curb the spread of coronavirus across the state.
Chief MInister Naveen Patnaik-led government in the state decided to impose the lockdown as the state continues to witness a high load of coronavirus infections daily. On Sunday, a total of 8,015 new COVID-19 cases were registered in Odisha and 14 people lost their lives due to the deadly virus.