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Bhubaneswar: 21/3/20:Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik has appealed to the people of Odisha to stay at home and come out only for basic services in order to contain the spread of COVID-19.
In a press note, the Odisha CM stated, “In the last 60 days the world has changed. We thought the change is happening in faraway places like China, South Korea but it has reached India now. In the last 15 days, the most powerful countries of the World – the U.S., the U.K., many in Europe have been severely affected. The case numbers are rising in India. We have a very small window to take pre-emptive action. There is no cure for this virus. The only cure is prevention.
It is only if you go out of your home that you may bring the virus to your home and your neighbourhood. Only through this strategy, China and some countries have reversed the trend. In fact, Wuhan which is the nerve centre has no more infections today. Their hospitals are free. They made people stay at home and come out only for essential services. Time has come for us to take the extraordinary step and sacrifice, to protect our State and our people,” Patnaik added.
Further informing about the lockdown in some parts of the state, the Chief Minister said, “We have more than 3000 people who have returned from foreign countries. They are advised for home quarantine. A majority of them belong to the following Districts of Khurdha, Cuttack, Ganjam, Kendrapada, Angul, the towns of Puri, Rourkela, Sambalpur, Jharsuguda, Balasore, Jajpur road and Jajpur town, Bhadrak.
“Hence in the first phase, we are going for a near-complete lockdown in all these areas from 7 A.M. tomorrow till 9 pm of 29th March,” he said.
Requesting all to stay at home and come out only for basic services, the Odisha CM informed that hospitals, clinics, medical shops, grocery shops, restaurants (only takeaways and home deliveries) vegetables, meat and milk shops/bread and bakery (but the selling of tea and other beverages in the same premises have to be closed), Railways, Bus stands Airports will be open as also Public Transport.
