Bhubaneswar: A day after the Odisha Government decided to extend the ongoing lockdown in the State till April 30 to effectively contain the spread of Coronavirus (Covid-19), Puri king Gajapati Maharaja Dibyasingha Deb, who is revered as the first servitor of Lord Jagannath, on Friday appealed to everyone in the State to follow the decision with utmost sincerity.
In a message, the Gajapati, who is Chairman of Puri Jagannath Temple Managing Committee said, “I appeal to everybody to follow the norms of the lockdown which was extended by the State Government till April 30 in view of the Coronavirus pandemic. With Shree Shree Jagannath Mahaprabhu’s blessings, the current danger will come to an early end.”
The Puri ‘king’ and two of his family members were in home isolation for a period of 14-days since March 17 following their return from USA after attending several programmes at the different Jagannath temples there.
They had travelled to the US on February 12 and returned on March 15. They immediately registered themselves with the State Government’s Covid-19 registration portal and underwent 14-day home isolation in their residence in Saheed Nagar in Bhubaneswar.
Notably, the State Cabinet on Thursday extended the ongoing 21-day national lockdown till April 30 to combat the Coronavirus (Covid-19).
The State has reported 48 Coronavirus (Covid-19) positive cases so far, of which two persons have been cured and discharged. One patient has succumbed to the disease.