Lockdown in India extended till May 31, states can now decide zones

The all-India lockdown, phase 3 of which was to end today on May 17, was extended until May 31 by a directive by the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) on Sunday. The move comes after Punjab, Tamil Nadu and Maharashtra extended their state-wide lockdowns till May 31 (and with Karnataka extending the lockdown in the state by two days until midnight of May 19). An order from the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) was circulated, stating that lockdown measures needed to be implemented for a further period in order to contain the spread of COVID-19. It stated that the NDMA, exercising powers under Section 6 (2) (I) of the Disaster Management Act, 2005, directs ministries and departments of the Government of India, State Governments and State Authorities to continue lockdown measures until May 31, 2020. “The authority further directs NEC to issue modification s in the guidelines as necessary, keeping in view the need to open up economic activities while containing the spread of COVID-19,” the notice said. At 9pm, Union Cabinet Secretary Rajiv Gauba is expected to hold a video conference with State Chief Secretaries. Guidelines for Lockdown 4.0As per the guidelines released by the Ministry of Home Affairs, several activities that were prohibited before will continue to be so during lockdown 4.0, including air travel and metro rail services.All air travel will continue to be prohibited except for medical purposes, air ambulance purposes, security purposes or purposes as decided by the MHA.Schools, colleges and educational/coaching/training institutions will continue to remain closes. As presently, hotels, restaurants and other hospitality services—except for those meant for housing health/police/government officials/healthcare workers stranded persons including tourists and for quarantine facilities, canteens at bus depots, railway stations and airports—shall remain closed. Restaurants may operate kitchens for home delivery of food items.Likewise, cinema halls, shopping malls, gymnasiums, swimming pools, entertainment parks, theatres, bars and auditoriums, assembly halls and similar places will continue to remain closed. Sports complexes and stadia, however, will be permitted to open without spectators.Social, political, sports, entertainment, academic, cultural, religious gatherings and large congregations remain prohibited. Religious places of worship will continue to remain closed, with religious congregations strictly prohibited.Inter-state movement of passenger vehicles and buses, with mutual consent of states and union territories, will be involved.Likewise, intra state movement of passenger vehicles and buses, as decided by state and union territories.Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) for movement of persons as mentioned in Annexure 1, shal continue to operate.Significantly, the delineation of Red, Green and Orange can be decided by the respective state and union territory governments, after taking into consideration parameters shared by the Health Ministry.Within Red and Orange Zones, containment zones and buffer zones will be demarcated by district authorities.Only essential activities can be allowed in containment zones, with strict perimeter control to ensure no movement of people in or out of the zones except for medical emergencies and for maintaining supply of essential goods and services.A night curfew shall persists, with movement of individual persons prohibited between 7pm to 7am, except for essential activities.Vulnerable persons, those who are above 65 years of age or those with co-morbidities, pregnant women, and children below the age of 10, shall stay at home, except for essential purposes.All other activities will be permitted, except for those which are specifically prohibited.In addition, the use of Aarogya Setu was recommended, with employers to ensure it is installed by all employees “on best effort basis”. In addition, district authorities ‘may’ advise individuals to install the app on compatible mobile phonesAll States and Union Territories shall allow inter and intra state movement of medical professionals, nurses and para medical staff, sanitation personnel and ambulances without any restriction. Similarly, they must allow inter-state movement of all types of goods/cargo, including empty trucks.The third phase of the lockdown, dubbed lockdown 3.0, was to last until May 17. However, as the number of cases continued to rise, an extension—lockdown 4.0—was widely expected, albeit with some relaxations.After meeting with the chief ministers of all states earlier this week, Prime Minister Narendra Modi had asked for suggestions for the implementation of the next phase of lockdown.States like Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Kerala, Gujarat and Delhi have suggested resuming all economies in non-containment zones. However, with the migrant exodus to the states continuing, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Jharkhand and Odisha want strict restrictions to continue. Assam has also called for an extension of the lockdown.Though the lockdown was expected to have reduced the number of cases India had faced, it is now increasingly recognised that the virus will be here to stay.

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