Blink News Network
Bhubaneswar, April 9: Odisha government on Thursday decided to extend the imposed lock down in the state till April 30. The decision was taken in a Cabinet meeting headed by Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik.
Patnaik in his message to the people said that giving priority to the safety of the people the state has taken the decision. He said, “At this crucial juncture one has to decide between protecting lives of people and economic activity. The State Cabinet which met today decided that saving the lives of our people is the top most priority at this juncture,”
He also said, “Accordingly we have decided to extend the lock down till April 30th, We will recommend to Government of India to extend the national lockdown up to 30thApril,”
Earlier the state was also one of the few Indian states to impose the lockdown in the state before the PM announced lock down of the whole India. The CM said that the Cabinet has also decided to scale up testing for COVID 19 besides allowing farming activities during the lock down period.
He said, “Activities related to agriculture , animal husbandry and MGNREGS will be facilitated during the lockdown period following social distancing norms. We also propose to do one Lakh rapid testing in the State at the earliest possible time.”
The CM also announced closing down of educational institutions till June 17 due to COVID 19 threat
