February COVID Guidelines: Odisha Reduces Duration Of Night Curfew

Bhubaneswar: The Odisha government has revised the timing of the night curfew in urban areas of the state from February 1. It will be now be imposed from 10 pm to 5 am instead of 9 pm to 5 am.

Shops, malls, market complexes, markets/haats, swimming pools, cinema halls, theatres, entertainment complexes, auditoriums, assembly halls and similar places will remain open from 5 am to 10 pm every day till February 28, the notification issued by the office of Special Relief Commissioner said on Monday.

Home delivery of food, groceries, vegetables, fish, meat, milk and other essential items by restaurants and aggregators such as Zomato, Swiggy, OPOLFED, OMFED and Chilika Fresh is allowed during night curfew.

All government offices, public undertakings and autonomous will now operate with 100 per cent staff.

Besides these, the present COVID-19 guidelines mostly remain unchanged for the month of February.

Religious congregations have been strictly prohibited. Restrictions on celebrations of festivals at public places continue. Saraswati Puja will be allowed in educational institutions with the participation of a limited number of students by observing COVID-appropriate behaviour, the notification said.

Large congregations at river banks, ghats, ponds and seashores are banned on the occasion of Magha Saptami. The rituals, however, will be allowed inside temples without the participation of devotees.

The local administration may impose appropriate restrictions on the entry of devotees to places of worship and decide the number of persons to attend any religious ritual or festival in their respective jurisdictions with strict adherence to COVID safety protocol, it further said.