Odisha Govt Issues Fresh Guidelines for Unlock 2.0: Here’s List of Activities Allowed and Restricted

By The Newsroom Network On Jun 30, 2020

Bhubaneswar: The Odisha Government today issuedfresh guidelines for the Unlock 2 in the state in pursuance of the order of the National Executive Committee to extend the lockdown in Containment Zones up to 31.07.2020, and to re-open more activities in a calibrated manner in areas outside Containment Zones.

The Officer of the Special Relief Commissioner, Odisha has issued a notification in this regard.

“The State Government do hereby promulgate the following guidelines in the State of Odisha until midnight of 31.07.2020:

This order will come into force with effect from 01.07.2020.

State COVID Management Guideline

The State COVID Management Guideline is based on:

De-centralised management: empowering the COVID Management Committee in urban and rural areas, headed by the Ward Members for surveillance, monitoring and containing the spread of the infection
Establishment and management of COVID Care Homes at Gram Panchayat (GP) level by Sarpanches for isolation and treatment of symptomatic cases.
Continuance of Temporary Medical Camps ITMCs) for a cluster of GPs for quarantining of returnees
COVID Audit of Government and Private offices and obligation of the head of the office under Disaster Management Act, 2005 for enforcing physical distancing and mask-wearing
Strict enforcement of social distancing, mask-wearing and spitting regulations in all public places
Strict adherence of COVID SOP by all Private Hospitals
Monitoring of travelers from hotspots outside the State

Lockdown limited to Containment Zones

Local Authorities i.e. District Collector/ Municipal Commissioner shall demarcate containment zones in accordance with the guidelines of MOHFW, Government of India/ H&FW Department of Government of Odisha.

In the Containment Zones, only essential activities shall be allowed. There shall be strict perimeter control to ensure that there is no movement of people in or out of these zones, except for medical emergencies and for maintaining the supply of essential goods and services. There shall be intensive contact tracing, house-to-house surveillance, and other clinical interventions, as required. Guidelines of MOHFW shall be taken into consideration for the above Purpose.

Local Authorities may also identify Buffer Zones outside the Containment Zones, where new cases are more likely to occur. Within the buffer zones, restrictions, as considered necessary, may be put in place by the local authorities.

Regulation of activities in areas outside the Containment Zones

a) The following establishments/ activities will continue to remain closed till 31st July, 2020, throughout the State:

Religious places/ places of worship for public.
International air travel of passengers, except as permitted by MHA.
Cinema halls, gymnasiums, swimming pools, entertainment complexes, theatres, auditoriums, assembly halls and similar places.
Social/ political/ sports/ entertainment/ academic/ cultural/religious functions and other large congregations.
Schools, colleges, other educational/ training/ coaching institutions, etc. will remain closed for the purpose of teaching till 31St August, 2020. However, conduct of examinations and evaluation, etc. shall be permitted.

b) Hotels and Restaurants are allowed to operate as per sops issued by MOHFW, Government of India (Annexure-I). Restaurant service in Hotels will be open for in-house guests (Annexure-II). Restaurants and Hotels are permitted for home delivery/ takeaways of food. Dhabas along National and State Highways/ Major roads for takeaway only.

c) Local Authorities may decide about opening of Shopping Malls with appropriate restrictions.

Activities that are not specifically prohibited/ regulated/ restricted above are allowed.

Night curfew

All shops, commercial establishments, offices, institutions and movement of individuals shall remain closed/ prohibited between 9.00 pin to 5.00 am throughout the State, except for essential activities. District Collectors and Police Commissioner, Bhubaneswar-Cuttack shall issue orders for their respective jurisdictions, under appropriate provisions of law, such as under Section 144 of Crpc, and ensure strict compliance. This restriction shall not apply to:

District and Municipal Administration/ Police/ Government Officials on duty
Doctors, Medical/ Paramedical Staff (Govt. & Private)
Staff of IT &ITes Companies on production their ID cards
Any person, in case of medical or other emergency
Owner/ staff of chemist shops
All industrial units
All construction activities
Movement of Public Transport, private vehicles and taxis (including cabs by aggregators like Ola, Uber, etc.) to and from airports, railway station and bus terminals/ stands/ stops, for facilitating movement of passengers by air, rail and road.
Operation of hotels and hospitality units, including their associated offices, movement of staff and associated personnel
Dhabas along National and State Highways/ Major roads for takeaway Only
Petrol pumps and CNG stations
Print and Electronic Media identified by Commissionerate/ District Police

The State Government will adopt a graded approach for districts depending on the status of the spread of the disease and vulnerability. Additional restrictions are required to be imposed on mobility and congregations in the interest of the containment of the spread of the disease.

Zone 1: 10 districts – Ganjam, Gajapati, Khurda, Cuttack, Jajpur, Jagatsinghpur, Balasore, Mayurbhan]., Keonjhar and Jharsuguda. Local authorities in these districts may impose restrictions on intra-district public and private transport and closure of shops & establishments, government and private institutions and movement/assembly of people, as deemed appropriate.

The Weekend Shutdown on Saturdays and Sundays will continue for the above districts in the month of July. During this shutdown, only the following activities shall be allowed:

All medical establishments including hospitals, clinics, nursing homes, including medicine stores. Movement of Ambulance and all medical personnel.
District and Municipal Administration/ Police/ Fire Services
Central & State Government officials on emergency duty
Telecom services
Petrol pumps
Print and Electronic Media identified by Commissionerate/ District Police
Water Supply, sanitation and sewerage workers
Electricity supply and distribution
Movement of goods and good carriers, whether loaded or unloaded
Industrial establishments, factories and construction activities
Agriculture, Horticulture, Fisheries, Animal Husbandry, Veterinary Services and allied activities, including procurement at Mandis
Service sector industries, including IT/ ITes, Hotel & Hospitality units. Operation of hotels and hospitality units, including their associated offices, movement of staff and associated personnel
Movement of rail and air transport
Road transport on highways, road movement of transiting vehicles
Movement of Public Transport, private vehicles and taxis (including cabs by aggregators like Ola, Uber, etc.) to and from airports, railway station and bus terminals/ stands/ stops, for facilitating movement of passengers by air, rail and road.
Marriages and Funerals, with permission of local authority
ATMs and critical financial institutions like RBI, Clearing Houses
Operations of Airports, Railway Stations, Bus Terminals and their associated offices, movement of associated personnel and activities
Home Delivery of food, groceries, vegetables and essential items by restaurants and aggregators such as Zomato, Swiggy etc.
Dhabas along National and State Highways/ Major roads for takeaway Only
Milkbooths
Food & Grocery stores such as Reliance Fresh, Big Bazaar, Chilika Fresh and others for home delivery only
Newspaper hawkers between 5 am and 8 am only

Zone 2: Remaining 20 districts – Puri, Kendrapara, Bhadrak, Sundargarh, Balangir, Kandhamal, Nayagarh, Bargarh, Malkangiri, Nuapada, Dhenkanal, Kalahandi, Angul, Deogarh, Sambalpur, Koraput, Boudh, Nabarangapur, Rayagada, Subarnapur.

All permissible activities are allowed, except during Night Curfew (as outlined in Clause 5).

Quarantine Policy

The quarantine period for returnee(s) to the State will be limited to 14 days. This shall be implemented by local authorities i.e., District Collectors/ Municipal Commissioners.

Returnee(s) in rural areas will undergo 14 days of mandatory institutional quarantine. In case the quarantinee develops symptoms requiring medical attention, he/ she may be shifted to COVID Care Centre/ COVID Hospital.

Returnees(s) in urban areas shall have to compulsorily stay in home quarantine for a period of 14 days, observing guidelines issued by H&FW Dept., Govt. of Odisha. If the returnee does not have proper quarantine facility at home, he/ she shall undergo institutional/ paid quarantine for a duration as directed by the local authorities.

Individuals travelling to the State by regular train and air services will have to undergo mandatory quarantine, as prescribed above.

Local Authorities may extend the duration of quarantine of the quarantinees at home/ institution, within their jurisdiction, in the interest of containment of COVID-19.

The following categories of travelers shall be exempt from mandatory quarantine in the State, upon arrival in Odisha:

officials, Professionals, businessmen or any other person travelling to Odisha on work and intending to exit the State by rail, road or air within 72 hrs
officials, Professionals, businessmen or any other person who have travelled from Odisha on work and are returning to the State within 72 hrs of departure from Odisha

General Directives for COVID-19 Management

The following General Directives for COVID-19 Management shall be strictly followed throughout the State:

Face coverings: Wearing of face cover is compulsory in public places; in workplaces; and during transport (Annexure-Ill).
Social distancing: Individuals must maintain a minimum distance of 6 feet in public places.
Shops will ensure physical distancing among customers. The owner/manager of the shop shall be liable for any violation.
Salons, Spas, Beauty Parlours and Barber shops shall ensure all safety precautions, disinfection and sanitization before and after service of each customer. The owner/ manager shall be liable for any violation.
Gatherings: Public gatherings/ congregations of more than 7 persons are prohibited.
Marriage related gatherings: Number of guests not to exceed 50,
Funeral/ last rites related gatherings: Number of persons not to exceed 20.
Spitting in public places will be punishable with fine, as prescribed in accordance with laws, rules or regulations (Annexure-IV & V).
Consumption of liquor, paan, gutka, tobacco, etc. in public places is prohibited.

Additional directives for Work Places

Obligation of Heads of Offices: All offices, Government and Private, must ensure adherence to the SOP on preventive measures to contain spread of COVID-19 in offices issued by Department of H&FW, Government of Odisha dated 30 th June 2020. Non-adherence to these guidelines will invite action under appropriate provisions of Disaster Management Act, 2005.

(Annexure-VI)

Work from home (WfH): As far as possible the practice of WFH should be followed.

Staggering of work/ business hours will be followed in offices, work places, shops, markets and industrial &commerdal establishments.

Screening& hygiene: Provision for thermal screening, hand wash and sanitizer will be made at all entry and exit points and common areas.

Frequent sanitization of entire workplace, common facilities and all points which come into human contact e.g. door handles, etc., will be ensured, including between shifts.

Physical distancing: AIl persons in charge Of workplaces will ensure adequate distance between workers, adequate gaps between shifts, staggering the lunch breaks Of staff, etc.

Unrestricted movement Of persons and goods

There shall be no restriction on inter-State and intra-State movement of persons and goods. No Permission/ approval/ e-permit/ Passes will be required for such movements.

Intra-State Buses, City Buses, Taxis (including cabs by aggregators like Ola, Uber, etc.), Auto Rickshaws and other Passenger Vehicles, are allowed to operate with up to sitting capacity of the vehicle, as mentioned in the Registration Certificate.

Movement by passenger trains and Shramik special trains (Annexure-VII); domestic passenger air travel; movement of Indian Nationals stranded outside the country and of specified persons to travel abroad (Annexure-VIII); evacuation of foreign nationals; and sign-on and signroff of Indian seafarers (Annexure-IX) will continue to be regulated as per sops issued by Govt. of India.

Movement of any type of goods/ cargo for cross land-border trade under Treaties with neighbouring countries shall not be stopped.

Based on their assessment of the situation, District Collectors/Municipal Commissioners may impose area specific additional restrictions on activities outside the Containment zones or impose such restrictions as deemed necessary for containing the spread of COVID-19.

Safety and Protection Of vrulnerable persons

The following categories Of people are advised against outdoor movement, except for essential and health purposes till 31st August, 2020.

Persons above 65 years of age

persons with co-morbidities

pregnant women

children below the age of 10 years

Use of AarogyaSetu

Aanogya 5efuenables early identification of potential risk of infection, and thus acts as a shield for individuals and the community.

With a view to ensuring safety in offices and workplaces, employers on best effort basis should ensure that AarogyaSetu is installed by all employees having compatible mobile phones.

District authorities may advise individuals to install the AarogyaSetu application on compatible mobile phones and regularly update their health status on the app. This will facilitate timely provision of medical attention to those individuals who are at risk.

Strict enforcement of the guidelines

These guidelines issued under the Disaster Management Act, 2005, shall not be diluted in any manner.

All the District Magistrates/ Municipal commissioners/ Commissioner of Police, Bhubaneswar-Cuttack shall strictly enforce the above measures.

Penal provisions

Any person violating these measures will be liable to be proceeded against in accordance with the provisions of Section 51 to 60 of the Disaster Management Act, 2005, besides legal action under Sectionl88 of the IPC, and other legal provisions as applicable. Extracts of these penal provisions are at Annexure-X.