Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik announced today that the lockdown that is scheduled to be lifted on April 14th throughout the country will be extended until April 30th in the state. Moreover, the education institutions such as schools and colleges will remain closed until June 17th due to the COVID-19 pandemic situation, according to several reports.

Earlier, the state government had announced that all the students from Class 1 to Class 9, and Class 11 will be promoted this year without any examination. The decision was made due to the uncertainty that the COVID-19 pandemic has presented.

The number of confirmed cases in the country reached 5,734 on Thursday. The toll in the country is now 166, said the health ministry. In the last 24 hours, India has reported 570 new infections and 17 deaths.

The state has registered a total number of 44 cases out of which 41 cases are active, 1 deceased and 2 patients have recovered. Odisha has become the first state to extend the lockdown. Previously, several states had requested the centre to extend the lockdown.