Covid guidelines for January in Odisha: Know what’s allowed, what’s not

Bhubaneswar: As new cases of Omicron variant of Covid-19 have been detected in Odisha, the State government today issued a set of guidelines for the month of January.

An order issued by the Special Relief Commissioner’s Office mentioned night curfew will be imposed in urban areas of the State from 10 PM to 5 AM. The directive will be in force from 5 AM of January 1, 2022 till 5 AM of February 1, 2022.

There shall be no movement of vehicles except for exigencies on production of proper evidence, the order added.

What is allowed:
Shops, malls will remain open across the State from 5 AM to 10 PM every day

Auditoriums, assembly halls, similar facilities shall be allowed to open up to 50% capacity with due compliance to Covid protocols

Open air theatres, Jatras, operas shall be permitted by the local authorities subject to compliance of Covid-19 safety protocols. Maximum 1,000 persons depending on the size of the ground will be permitted at the venue.

For indoor halls the numbers of spectators shall not exceed 50% of the seating capacity of the hall.

Cinema halls, theatres shall be allowed to open with up to 50% of capacity

Marriages, thread ceremony, funerals, last rites and related gatherings shall be allowed with approval from local authorities. The ceiling on the number of persons at such events will be 250 including hosts, guests, priests and catering and other support staff.

Christmas celebration shall be limited to churches with a maximum of 50 persons joining the mass.
Political gatherings should be limited not more than 100 persons with full compliance to Covid protocols

What’s not allowed:

Zero night celebration, welcome to new year and Christmas celebration in hotels, clubs, convention halls is completely banned across the State.

No community feast is allowed.

No social gathering, rallies, orchestras, dances and other cultural programmes shall be permitted.
Picnic in parks, nature clubs, beaches and other picnic spots will not be allowed.

No educational institutions will organize excursions and picnics till end of the month.
Cultural and dance programmes will not be allowed in hotels, parks, malls, convention centres and kalyan mandaps.

Annual day celebration and anniversary on the pretext of any reason is also prohibited.

Exhibitions, trade fairs, expos, melas, will also remain prohibited. However, official events may be allowed with prior approval of Government.

In Odisha, a total of 14 Omicron cases have been detected so far.

Also read: Odisha’s Guidelines For January: Picnic, Fairs, Cultural Programmes Not Allowed