Odisha extends lockdown with tighter restrictions keeping non-essential shops shut

By

Isabelle Crossley

Published
May 19, 2021

As Odisha continues to report high daily Covid-19 cases, despite its ongoing lockdown regulations, the state’s authorities have extended the lockdown with tighter restriction on retail.  

On May 18, the Odisha state government announced that its local lockdown will continue by two extra weeks until June 1. Odisha chief secretary S C Mohapatra made the announcement a day before the lockdown was previously scheduled to ease, the Press Trust of India reported.  
 
The new local regulations will reduce the number of hours that retail outlets selling essential goods can open per day from six to five hours. Non-essential shops, including clothing and cosmetics stores, remain closed for the duration of the lockdown and essential stores must also shut fully on weekends when only hospitals and medical outlets are allowed to open. 

“People can buy the essentials between 6 am and 11 am by walking to the nearby markets,” said Mohapatra, ET Bureau reported. He also said that interstate bus travel remains banned. 
 
The financial sector is still operational as are Odisha’s ports. The state first announced its lockdown on May 5. As of Wednesday evening, Odisha has reported 6.3 lakh coronavirus cases with 2,357 related deaths as the state faces accusations that it is under-reporting its death-toll, The Hindu reported.