The pain of lockdown is still fresh in the minds of everyone and the only way to avoid a repeat is to strictly adhere to COVID 19 guidelines said Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik while appealing to people to show the same kind of cooperation as they had done over the past one year.

The battle against the virus is not over as yet, there should be no complacency, noted the Chief Minister while pointing out at the latest rise in number of cases in Maharashtra, Punjab, Chhattisgarh and Madhya Pradesh .

The resurgence of the virus has prompted the Maharashtra government to enforce a lockdown again, he said.

Due to strict adherence to COVID 19 guidelines, the number of positive cases in Odisha has been contained to below 100 per day. The Chief Minister credited the people at large for the present situation and said even the World Health Organisation had appreciated Odisha’s success in dealing with the virus.

We must maintain our vigil, abide by guidelines like sporting masks, social distancing and hand wash practices to avoid a lockdown like situation, said the CM in his address to the people today.

The administration and police have been asked to enforce the guidelines, he said before reposing utmost faith and trust on people to guard against possible comeback of the disease.

Presently the number of Covid cases per day is less than 100 in Odisha but we must not rest till we achieve zero infection, said the Chief Minister.

“The trauma during the lockdown period is still fresh in our memory. The lockdown had caused huge damage to our economy as well as the society. It adversely impacted the education of children”, he said.

Reminding people of such adverse impacts, the Chief Minister went on to touch upon their sentiments saying tears of families of COVID Warriors who had lost their near and dear ones have not dried as yet and we must not let their supreme sacrifice go in vain.

Besides sporting masks in the correct manner, maintaining social distance and hand wash practices, people need to restrict their outdoor movements . Go out only when it is urgent and important, he advised.

The Chief Minister went on to note that the vaccination programme is on with the cooperation of the people at large. The momentum must be kept up.