Covid-19 Partial lockdown in Odisha extended till July 1, opens borders with Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand

Bhubaneswar, Jun 16: The Odisha government on Wednesday extended the partial lockdown for two more weeks till July 1 and divided the state into two categories depending on the COVID-19 positivity rate, a senior official said.

The restrictions will be in force till 5 am of July 1, Chief Secretary S C Mohapatra said.

The weekend shutdowns on Saturdays and Sundays will also continue across Odisha till the end of the month.

He said that under Category A, there are 17 districts located in the southern and western parts of the state where the positivity rate is 5 per cent or less, while 13 districts in coastal regions feature in Category B, the official said.

Mohapatra said the borders with Chhattisgarh and Jharkhand will now be opened keeping in view the decline in COVID-19 cases in these states, but restrictions will continue along the borders with West Bengal and Andhra Pradesh.