The traders in Cuttack have extended their support to the decision of the Odisha government to impose night curfew restrictions from 9 pm till 5 am, to check the spread of COVID 19 in the State, saying the extension of the night curbs is welcome as long as there is no a total shutdown.
Earlier the Odisha government had imposed night curfew from 10 pm to 5 am. But with the recent surge in COVID cases in the State, Odisha’s Special Relief Commissioner revised the timings to 9 pm to 5 am every day, effective from January 7, 2022 (Friday).
While the traders welcomed the decision aimed at curbing the COVID menace, they also demanded assurance from the government to not clamp complete shutdown ahead which will push their livelihood at stake once again.
Speaking to OTV, a trader in the Millennium City who deals with mobile phones and spare parts, said, “We will obey all the restrictions put in place by the State government. We will make sure there is no crowd inside the shop. We will ensure physical distancing and wearing of masks.”
He added, “We are okay with shutting our shops from 9 pm but a complete shutdown should not be made mandatory, given that we have already suffered a lot during the last lockdowns,” he said.
The Odisha government on Wednesday announced a slew of new restrictions with a view to control the rapid surge in Covid cases, especially the highly-infectious Omicron variant of the virus, in the State.
Special Relief Commissioner (SRC) Pradeep Jena said in a special video address that the fresh curbs which will be enforced strictly from January 7 (5 am) will continue till February 1(5 am).