Lockdown implemented to contain the spread of the novel coronavirus has been extended till May 3. The Ministry of Home Affair has issued detailed guidelines regarding services that’ll remain operational and those not.
Some conditional relief may be seen in areas that are not hotspots for the novel coronavirus from April 20. Originally, the 21-day nation-wide lockdown was to end on April 14 but considering the rising number of cases, especially in Delhi, Maharashtra and Tamil Nadu, a majority of states agreed to extend the lockdown.
WHAT’S OPEN DURING LOCKDOWN 2.0
- All kinds of essential services. These services include all health workers (doctors, nurses, hospital staff, and sanitation workers.)
- Media persons belonging to print and electronic media (though they too can’t enter the containment zones, also known as hotspots.)
- Homes of children, disabled, mentally challenged or senior citizens, women.
- Movement, loading or unloading of goods cargo (both inter or intrastate)
- MNREGA works are allowed with strict implementation of social distancing and use of face mask.
- Hotels, homestays, lodges and motels.
- Services provided by self-employed people, including electrician, IT repairs, plumbers, motor mechanics and carpenters will also remain operational.
- Industries in rural areas, SEZs, and EOU zones, units making essential goods, food processing units, IT hardware companies, coal production will be allowed to function.
- Construction of roads, irrigation projections, buildings and all kinds of industrial projects, including MSMEs, in rural areas and construction of renewable energy projects will be allowed.
- Government will also ease restrictions for farmworkers (since the rabi crop harvest season has started in states like Punjab, Haryana and Uttar Pradesh.)
- All security personnel, including police and security forces, are also exempted from the lockdown.
- All kinds of essential service agencies, including cook gas agencies, fuel pumps, ration shops, wholesale and retail shops and vegetable mandis will remain open.
- Pathology labs will also be allowed to operate amid the lockdown.
- Goods trucks carrying goods — weather or not essential goods — within states and outside states will be allowed to operate during the extended lockdown period.
- During a televised address to the nation on Tuesday, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said India might have to pay a big economic price for the lockdown but there was no alternative to saving human lives.