Covid-19: Partial curbs extended in 10 Odisha districts, shops open from 6am-5pm

This comes as the Covid-19 caseload in Odisha touched 9,47,859 after 2,110 more people tested positive for the infection.

The Odisha government on Thursday extended the partial lockdown in 10 districts till August 1 in view of the Coronavirus (Covid-10) pandemic. The state government also announced some relaxations in restrictions as it allowed shops and commercial establishments to remain open from 6am to 5pm in districts that fall in Category B. Shops and business establishments in districts classified as Category A can remain open from 6am to 8pm.

A health worker collects a nasal swab sample from a boy for Covid-19 testing at the urban primary health centre, in Bhubaneswar. (HT Photo)

The districts have been divided in the two categories based on the caseload and other parameters. The weekend shutdown will be in effect in 10 districts that have been classified under Category-B. These are Khordha , Puri , Nayagarh , Cuttack , Kendrapara , Jagatsinghpur , Jajpur , Balasore , Bhadrak and Mayurbhanj. Parks , malls , cinemas , schools will continue to remain closed.

This comes as the Covid-19 caseload in Odisha touched 9 ,47 ,859 after 2 ,110 more people tested positive for the infection , while 66 fresh fatalities pushed the toll to 4 ,861 , as per the state health department figures.

Of the latest cases , Khorda reported the maximum number of new infections at 458 , followed by Cuttack (323) , Balasore (168) , Kendrapara (132) and Puri (113).

The district with lowest number of cases was Naupada which logged only two cases over the span of 24 hours.

In terms of fatalities from the viral infection too , Khorda was at top with 21 deaths , followed by Bargarh and Sundargarh at 10 each , Balasore at eight , Sambalpur at seven , and Bhadrak and Mayurbhanj at two each.

One person each succumbed to the disease in Bolangir , Cuttack , Ganjam , Jagatsinghpur , Kalahandi and Puri.

Odisha has been registering over 60 fatalities in a day since July 11. The coastal state currently has 22 ,299 active cases , while 9 ,20 ,646 patients , including 2 ,605 on Wednesday , have recovered from Covid-19.