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On 14 April, the Government of India announced that they will be extending the 21-day lockdown till 3 May. They also said that considering the economic fall-out for daily wage earners and economically backward communities, it would allow some relaxations in areas with a relatively less threat of the COVID-19 disease.
The Ministry of Home Affairs released a set of guidelines for the extended lockdown which will come into effect after 20 April 2020.
All the State Governments are following stringent lockdown protocols till 20 April including setting up hotspots and containment zones in areas with a heightened level of emergency due to the spread of Coronavirus.
These guidelines were released by the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA):
I. TRAVEL
All domestic and international flights except for security purposes will be prohibited till 3 May 2020.
All passenger movement by trains (whether local, intra-state or inter-state) is prohibited.
Travelling by buses and metro rail services are suspended.
Inter-state or district-travel using personal vehicles is prohibited, except for health & medical related purposes.
II. PUBLIC PLACES
Educational, training and coaching institutes are to remain closed.
Cinema halls, malls, shopping complexes, gymnasiums, swimming pools, entertainment parks, theatres, bars and auditoriums used for conducting mass events have to remain closed.
All religious places must remain closed and all religious gatherings are prohibited.
In the case of funerals, a gathering of not more than 20 people will be permitted. One has to contact local law enforcement agencies to obtain such permits.
III. PRIVATE BUSINESSES/AGGREGATORS
All industrial and commercial activities are prohibited, unless they are required to continue operations for specific purposes, for which permits will have to be sought from Government agencies.
All hospitality services will be suspended.
All taxi services (including auto and cycle rickshaws) are suspended.
Cab aggregators like Ola and Uber are suspended from operating in India till 3 May.
IV. SELF-EMPLOYED SERVICES
Services of self-employed persons such as electricians, plumbers, motor mechanics and carpenters will remain functional.
All agriculture, horticulture and allied services will remain functional.
V. BANKING SERVICES
All bank branches and ATM services including IT vendors for banking operations, banking correspondents, ATM operation and cash management agencies to remain functional during the lockdown.
You can read the full report here.
The special exemption has been made for industries operating in rural areas outside of municipal corporations and municipalities while observing proper protocol for sanitation and hygiene.
Additionally, the guidelines advise all operational facilities like public and private workplaces to maintain social distancing as a standard operating procedure.
The MHA has said that these revised set of rules do not apply to hotspots and containment zones.
As we know, hotspots or areas with an increased outbreak of COVID-19 will be determined as per the guidelines provided by the Ministry of Health & Family Welfare. In the hotspots, containment zones will be demarcated by States/Union Territories/ District administration as per guidelines laid down by MoHFW.
Read the official consolidated list of revised guidelines HERE.
Feature Image Credit: Nagaraja Gadekal/EPS
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