Dikhyaa Mohanty 
The Odisha Government extended the partial lockdown which is imposed to contain the spread of Covid infection in the State, till July 16 (6 am). The State Chief Secretary, Suresh Mohapatra made the announcement with other details regarding the partial lockdown.
Suresh Mohapatra stated that around 20 districts have been categorized in group A where Test Positivity Rate (TPR) is less than 5%. Those are- Angul, Dhenkanal, Keonjhar, Sundargarh, Jharsuguda, Bargarh, Sambalpur, Deogarh, Kalahandi, Balangir, Nuapada, Sonepur, Ganjam, Gajapati, Kandhamal, Boudh, Koraput, Nabarangpur, Malkangiri and Rayagada.
The rest 10 districts have been grouped into category B where the TPR is above 5%. Those are- Nayagarh, Puri, Khordha, Cuttack, Mayurbhanj, Jajpur, Kendrapada, Jagatsinghpur, Bhadrak and Balasore.
He further added that all shops in category A districts will be allowed to operate from 6 am to 6 pm. Withdraw of weekend shutdown in category A district was also announced. All businesses can run daily from 6 am to 6 pm except malls, spas and parlours in these regions.
In category A, bus transportation will be allowed but with strict guidelines and protocols. Buses are allowed to pick up passengers up to seating capacity only. Taxis and autos can carry a maximum of 2 persons apart from the driver.
Similarly, small hair salons are allowed to operate in category A districts. Outdoor & indoor film shooting can resume while daily markets and weekly haats have also been permitted in category A districts.
In category B the weekend shutdown will continue along with the suspension of bus transport and Malls, Cinema halls and jatras have not been allowed and curbs on marriages and funerals will continue as usual.
Image Source – Google
