Decision to extend lockdown likely after all-party meet today

BHUBANESWAR: Amid the consistent surge in Covid cases, the state government is likely to take a call on the extension of the lockdown in Odisha after the all-party meeting scheduled to be held on Monday. The current lockdown came into effect on May 5 and will remain in force until May 19.
Despite the state government’s claim that the lockdown has helped contain the spread of the virus, Odisha has been reporting 10,000 to 12,000 new positive cases daily for the past several days. Khurda district, of which Bhubaneswar is a part, has the highest positivity rate of 37.5% even as the situation in western Odisha districts has slightly improved.
Officials said the state government has made up its mind to extend the lockdown restrictions till May-end to bring the situation under control. “We are waiting for the suggestions of other political parties too since an all-party meeting has been convened. We want the decision on the lockdown extension to be based on political consensus,” a senior cabinet minister said, without wishing to be named.
Speaker SN Patro will chair the all-party meeting virtually at 5.30pm. It will also be attended by chief minister Naveen Patnaik, senior cabinet ministers and leaders of opposition parties.
A day before the meeting, the opposition parties also suggested to the state government that the lockdown should be extended though they would make their stand clearer on Monday.
Meanwhile, the opposition BJP and Congress criticised the state government for the alleged Covid mismanagement and lack of adequate infrastructure, especially in the districts.
BJP deputy leader Bishnu Charan Sethi said people in the rural areas are facing difficulties owing to lack of adequate facilities for Covid testing. “The primary healthcare centres and community healthcare centres lack enough healthcare professionals. The vaccination process is in a mess as the state government has not been able to facilitate adequate supply of vaccines to the districts. We will raise these issues during the meeting called tomorrow,” Sethi said.
State BJP president Samir Mohanty also hit out at the state government over the Covid management and demanded that it consider the suggestions made by Union minister Dharmendra Pradhan for the formation of a Covid crisis management committee at the panchayat-level to effectively handle the pandemic.