Odisha To Shut Down Schools, Extend Night Curfew Amid COVID 3rd Wave Scare

Bhubaneswar: With daily COVID caseload surging past the 1000-mark on Wednesday after a gap of almost five months and 24 new Omicron cases, the Odisha government has decided to extend the night curfew by an hour from January 7.

Briefing the media, Special Relief Commissioner Pradeep Jena said that night curfew will now be imposed from 9 pm to 5 am. Only essential activities will be allowed during curfew, he said.

The guests at weddings have been capped at 100. Only 30 can participate in the Baraat (marriage procession) and a maximum of 50 people in death rituals. Government and private offices will run at 50 per cent capacity, he said.

The SRC also asked private organisations to work with minimal staff and promote the work-from-home facility.

There will be no physical classes up to Class XII. However, online classes to continue and so also the Matric assessment exams, he said, adding that the fresh guidelines will remain in force from 5 am on January 7 till 5 am on February 1.

Also Read: COVID 3rd Wave: Odisha Staring At Delhi-Like Situation With R-Value Crossing 1!

“All such educational institutions are encouraged to organise online video methods of teaching and learning for Class X and XII students. The educational institution can organise doubt clearing classes in small batches with the consent of parents by observing COVID protocols. All examinations including the Summative Examination will continue. All AWCs shall be closed. The concerned Administrative Departments will issue detailed guidelines/SOP in this regard,” he said.

He further said that no picnics and excursions will be conducted by schools and colleges.

Notably, Khurda (456), Sundargarh (166), Sambalpur (99), Cuttack (80) and Jajpur (47) have contributed to 70 per cent of the total 1216 new infections in the last 24 hours. The R-value has also gone past 1 in the state, which is an indicator of the next wave.