Bhubaneswar: Following the late-night notification on the reopening of shops by the Union Home Ministry on Friday, Police Commissioner Sudhanshu Sarangi on Saturday clarified that a decision in the matter will be taken by the Odisha government.
He said the decision will be based on local situation. “Until then, shops except for those already exempted, will continue to remain closed during the lockdown,” he tweeted.
Please await State Government decision on the subject, which will be based on consideration of local situation and requirements. Till there is a decision by the State Government shops, except for those already exempted, will remain closed. https://t.co/p0L4tnhoSA
— Dr Sudhanshu Sarangi (@SarangiSudhansu) April 25, 2020
On Friday night, the MHA gave a green signal to reopen all shops selling non-essential items as well. However, stores inside malls and shopping complexes were not allowed to reopen. Gyms, malls, auditoriums, cinema halls, etc will remain closed.
The ministry also clarified that e-commerce sites will only be allowed to deliver essential goods and the sale of liquor will continue to be prohibited.
