Odisha issues guidelines for Unlock 2

Odisha announced new guidelines for Unlock 2 keeping in view the central guidelines and the ground situation. The guidelines will be effective from July 1.

Announcing the guidelines, Chief Secretary Asit Tripathy said that religious places, social and political gathering will be prohibited for people till July 31. The decision on the opening of shopping malls has been left on local authorities like collectors and municipal commissioners.

Schools, colleges and educational institutions will remain closed till August 31 as also theatres, gyms, swimming pools, entertainment parks, bars, assembly halls and other similar places.

He said the weekend shutdown will continue in 10 districts having more than 50 active cases, identified as Zone 1 - Ganjam, Gajapati, Khurda, Cuttack, Jajpur, Jagatsinghpur, Balasore, Mayirbhanj, Keonjhar and Jharsuguda.

Night Curfew will be imposed from 9 pm to 5 am throughout the state instead of present timing from 7 pm to 5 am.

Tripathy said the state government has requested the Centre not to increase the intensity of train and air movement from hotspot places to Odisha.

He said that heads of government and private offices will face action under the Disaster Management Act for not enforcing social distancing and health safety measures in case of COVID outbreak.

An order of the Office of the Special Relief Commissioner (SRC) said that lockdown will be limited to containment zones and the local authorities will demarcate containment zones in accordance with the guidelines of Health Ministry and state health department.

"In the Containment zones, only essential activities shall be allowed. There shall be strict perimeter control to ensure that there is no movement of people in or out of these zones, except for medical emergencies and for maintaining the supply of essential goods and services," the order said.

There shall be intensive contact tracing, house-to-house surveillance, and other clinical interventions, as required.

( With inputs from ANI )