Bhubaneswar: The Odisha Government will not conduct the COVID-19 vaccination drive on Saturdays and Sundays in urban areas of 10 districts where weekend shutdown will be imposed from April 17, an official said.
The immunisation programme will not be held on weekends in cities and towns of Sundargarh, Jharsuguda, Sambalpur, Bargarh, Nuapada, Kalahandi, Bolangir, Nabarngpur, Koraput and Malkangiri districts, he said on Friday.
In a bid to break the chain of the COVID-19 infection in the state, the government had on Thursday decided to impose the weekend shutdown in the 10 districts bordering Chhattisgarh where the number of active coronavirus cases crossed the one lakh mark.
Health and Family Welfare Department Additional Chief Secretary PK Mohapatra has written to collectors of these districts and municipal commissioners of Rourkela and Sambalpur to stop the vaccination programme in urban areas on weekends.
He, however, said the order will not be applicable in rural areas of these districts.
Mr.Mohapatra asked the local administrations to continue the inoculation drive in villages of these districts during the proposed weekend shutdown, the official said.
The government had imposed a night curfew in these districts from April 5 and extended the restriction by three more hours from Saturday.
Instead of 10 pm to 6 am, these districts, both in urban and rural areas, will have night curfews from 6 pm to 5 am from April 17.
The government has also decided to impose a similar restriction from 9 pm to 5 am in urban areas of 20 other districts, where no such curbs are in place at present.
Meanwhile, the Nuapada district administration issued fresh prohibitory orders under section 144 of the CrPC, banning congregation and movement of people in Khariar NAC (notified-area council) for six days from 6 am of April 17, the official said.
Odisha’s COVID-19 caseload on Friday mounted to 3,61,450 after 3,108 more people tested positive for the infection, while three fresh fatalities pushed the death toll to 1,938