'Janata curfew' underway; roads empty, shops shut in Odisha

Streets across Odisha wore a deserted look on Sunday as people largely remained indoors in view of the 'janata curfew' call given by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, amid a spurt in Covid-19 cases in the country.

Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik, who extended support to the initiative, had on Saturday announced a near-total lockdown in five districts - Khurda, Ganjam, Cuttack, Kendrapara and Angul - and eight prominent towns, including Puri, Rourkela, Jharsuguda, of the state till March 29 to contain the spread of the disease.

Of the 3,200 foreign returnees to Odisha, more than 70 per cent hailed from these districts and towns, he had said.

Adhering to Sunday's call for 'janata curfew', all shops, eateries and market places, barring pharmacies and those selling essential items, remained closed in the state, official sources said.

Only a few buses and autos will be plying on the roads till 9 pm, they said.

Altogether 46 local trains and 21 Express, superfast and intercity trains have also been cancelled by the East Coast Railway (ECoR) on Sunday in view of the restrictions.

Odisha has recorded two cases of Covid-19 so far. Both the patients are undergoing treatment in separate hospitals of state capital Bhubaneswar.