Odisha relaxes night curfew by an hour, allows Saraswati Puja in schools

Bhubaneswar: The Odisha government on Monday (January 31, 2022) relaxed the night curfew by an hour and allowed Saraswati Puja in schools as the Covid-19 cases in the state saw a steady decline over the last few days.

The night curfew will be in force in urban areas from 10 pm to 5 am, instead of starting at 9 pm, as per official notification.

Saraswati Puja will be allowed in temples without the participation of devotees, and in schools with a limited number of students, complying with Covid-19 protocols, it said.

No community Saraswati Pujas will be allowed, and large congregations at river banks, ghats, ponds and beaches for bathing on Magha Saptami will not be permitted, it added.

Shops, malls, shopping complexes, markets, haats, cinema halls, swimming pools, entertainment complexes, theatres, auditoriums, assembly halls and other similar places will be allowed to be operate from 5 am to 10 pm, said the notification that listed the restrictions for February.

Emergency services and home delivery by restaurants and online aggregators will continue during the night curfew.

All offices of the state government, public undertakings, corporations, societies and autonomous bodies will function with full staff strength, strictly adhering to Covid-19 protocol.

Online meetings and training shall be encouraged, the notification said.