Goods vehicles exempted from restrictions during Odisha lockdown

Bhubaneswar: The Odisha government today clarified goods vehicles have been exempted from the restrictions imposed by it during the eight-day lockdown in five districts and eight towns of the State. Amid the growing COVID-19 scare across the country, the Odisha government on Saturday imposed restrictions on movement of people and vehicles during a lockdown from 7 am on March 22 to 9 pm on March 29.

The State government constituted a state-level monitoring unit on goods and services to ensure smooth flow of goods into the State and within the State.

“In view of restrictions imposed by the government for management of COVID-19 and for monitoring and smooth facilitation of movement of goods into the State and within the State, the Odisha government constitutes a state-level monitoring unit on goods and services with immediate effect,” said the State government’s Chief Spokesperson on COVID-19, Subroto Bagchi here.

The Principal Secretary of Water Resources department will head the monitoring unit. Subroto added the unit will assess requirement and monitor flow of goods and take immediate actions for removal of bottlenecks if any. This apart, it will create platform to facilitate traders and transporters to air their issues and resolve the same.

The self-sufficient monitoring unit will take appropriate action with waiting for approvals from the government, he added.

A total of 3,474 persons have registered themselves with the COVID-19 portal so far whereas 76 samples were sent for tests. Of the total samples tested, two were found to be positive for COVID-19 so far. As many as 56 persons have come in contact with the two COVID-19 patients.

While one COVID-19 patient is admitted to Capital Hospital in Bhubaneswar, the other one is at AIIMS, Bhubaneswar. Their condition is stated to be stable.

COVID-19 has spread to 188 countries so far.