The lockdown may have broken the usual busy schedule of life, but nonetheless it has brought the family members closer.

Kalpana Mohanty, a homemaker in Kendrapada district, is taking time off to read the book she had purchased a month ago, while her husband is making breakfast for her and the kids, a departure from the usual practice at her home, where morning scenes before the lockdown were all about preparing tiffin boxes and sending children to school.

Mohanty and many others like her are making the most of this quarantine period to spend time with family, playing card games, binge watching TV shows together and turning the pages of albums of photographs.

People in different parts of the State have been abiding by the lockdown regulations and refraining from venturing out unless it is very urgent, Bhubaneswar-based lawyer CK Mohanty said.

“Now, indoor confinement has strengthened the family bonding that used to be punctuated by hectic schedules of daily life. For those missing the feelings of togetherness, the prevailing situation has come as a blessing in disguise,” said Dipti, a homemaker in the State capital.

Sabita Kanungo of Pattamundai said Kendrapada district has witnessed homecoming of thousands of migrant workers, both from within and outside the country.

“My husband is a teacher of a Government school, which is now shut in view of coronavirus scare. The classes are suspended and the Government has asked the teachers not to go to school. His presence at home almost round-the-clock has enlivened the family environment. That was missing earlier,” Ranjita Mishra, a homemaker of Kendrapada town, said.

No doubt, fear remains in their minds, but families stand united in the battle against COVID-19, said Bikramjit, a senior executive at a private company, where work is temporarily suspended.

Pratiti Mohanty, a resident of Bhubaneswar, said her advocate husband now confines himself to home as courts are not functioning. “My son and daughter are also at home as educational institutions remain shut. The lockdown has given a boost to indoor family activities,” she added.