Paralakhemundi: Despite awareness drives and strict enforcement, people in different parts of Odisha continue to flout the Covid-19 norms which are the key to keep the coronavirus at bay.
Such blatant violations of the guidelines forced authorities to seal two cinema halls in Paralakhemundi in Gajapati district on Saturday.
As per preliminary reports, Jai Maa and Laxmi cinema halls have been sealed until further orders by the respective local administration.
It is pertinent to mention here that huge rush of moviegoers was seen before the ticket counters of three cinema halls in the area screening the Pawan Kalyan stareer ‘Vakeel Saab’ movie opened on Friday.
Later, police had to resort to lathi-charge to bring the situation under control.
Apart from the two cinema halls in Paralakhemundi, one cinema hall in Rayagada has also been sealed for violating Covid-19 norms yesterday.
Odisha is now witnessing a steep rise in Covid-19 cases which has forced the authorities to take stringent measures to curb the spread of the virus.
The State government on Friday increased the penalty amount to Rs 2000 for the first and second offence for people not wearing masks. A fine of Rs 5,000 has been for subsequent violations.