Bhubaneswar: The Odisha government has relaxed the night curfew on Friday to let people go shopping for the upcoming three-day Raja festival, an official said here on Thursday.
Night curfew on Friday will be enforced from 10 PM instead of 7 PM.
“Keeping in view of Raja Festival, it is hereby order that the night curfew on Friday, the 12th June, 2020 will be effected from 10 PM instead of 7 PM in order to enable people to do their pre-festival shopping,” said an order issued by the Special Relief Commissioner (SRC) Pradeep Jena.
However, all other conditions of the June 1 order and subsequent amendments remain unchanged, it added.
Earlier on June 1, the State government imposed a curfew from 7 PM to 5 AM till June 30, to contain the possible spread of COVID-19. It also introduced weekend shutdown in 11 districts.
The Raja festival, which will begin on Sunday, celebrates womanhood amid the onset of the monsoon. It is based on the belief that ”Mother Earth” menstruates for these three days and she is given a ceremonial bath on the fourth day.
The festival is celebrated in the coastal and the tribal regions of the state.
Meanwhile, the district administrations of Khordha and Keonjhar imposed prohibitory orders in certain places to prevent congregation during the festival.
So far, Odisha has reported 3,386 COVID-19 cases among which 2354 patients have been recovered from the deadly disease.
Ms Kalinga