On a hot day, migrants waiting for screening and registration at ISBT Sector 43 before leaving Chandigarh Railway Station for their onward journey to Azamgarh in Uttar Pradesh on Sunday. (Express photo: Kamleshwar Singh)
Lockdown 4.0 Guidelines & Rules, Coronavirus India Lockdown Extension Highlights: The Centre on Sunday extended the Covid-19 lockdown for two more weeks till May 31 with relaxations that are likely to completely open the economy with the operation of all markets, offices, industries and business along with plying of buses in all zones, barring containment.
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Domestic and international flights and metro rail will remain out of bounds for the general public even as shopping malls, cinema halls, schools, colleges, hotels and restaurants, and religious and political gatherings will continue to remain prohibited. Crucially, the government has allowed inter-state movement of buses and private vehicles with the consent of the involved states. The move will greatly ease public transportation and is likely to come to immediate help of migrant labour on the roads. The night curfew, between 7 pm and 7 am, will continue in all zones.
Read | Now, states get a greater sayāand ownership
Furthermore, states and Union Territories (UTs) have been given powers to delineate the Red, Green and Orange zones as per the Covid-19 situation and inter-state movement of passenger vehicles, buses have been allowed with mutual consent of states. District authorities have been directed to demarcate ācontainmentā and ābufferā areas within Red and Orange zones as per Union Health Ministry guidelines.
The nationwide lockdown was first imposed for 21 days starting March 25 and then extended on April 15 and later on May 4 with an aim to stem the spread of novel coronavirus (Covid-19). As India entered the 54th day of the lockdown, the total number of coronavirus cases in India surpassed Chinaās tally with 90,927 infections and death toll soared to 2,872 on Sunday. China, which has a total of 84,649 cases, stopped adding new cases for the last two months now, while India has been detecting almost 4,000 cases every day for the last few days.
While some states have suggested to the Centre to extend the lockdown, most want to decide on zones and restrictions when the third phase of the lockdown ends. (Express File Photo Ganesh Shirsekar)
Even as it announced relaxations in the lockdown, Karnataka has decided not to allow people from four states — Kerala, Tamil Nadu, Maharashtra and Gujarat – inside its borders till May 31.
After holding a meeting with ministers and senior officials regarding the central government’s guidelines on the extension of the Covid-19 lockdown, Karnataka Chief Minister BS Yediyurappa on Monday announced various relaxations.
“Karnataka will not allow entry of people from Kerala, Tamil Nadu, Maharashtra, and Gujarat in the state until May 31, except under inevitable circumstances,” Yediyurappa said.
With the Centre extending the nationwide lockdown for two more weeks until May 31 to stop the spread of Covid-19, Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal Monday announced a detailed plan for the national capital based on the guidelines of the Ministry of Home Affairs. Addressing an online media briefing, the chief minister said, “We have to gradually move towards opening the economy. We used the lockdown period to make arrangements to deal with COVID-19.”
Kejriwal said that bus service in the capital will resume but only 20 passengers will be allowed at a time. “Screening of passengers will be done before entering. Social distancing will be maintained on each depot,” he said. However, there will be no relaxation in containment zones. Read more here
"Barber shops, spas and salons to remain closed in Delhi for now," Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal announced. "Stepping out of homes between 7 pm to 7 am, except for essential services will be prohibited. Taxis and cabs will be allowed but only 2 passengers at a time in a car," he said.
The All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) is finalising its plan to restore services at the hospital from this week. The plan involves equally redistributing personnel from Covid-19 centres in all departments to reallocating beds for indoor patients. “The services are likely to start this week. Discussions on whether the services should be partially opened or in one go are going on with all the heads. Suggestions regarding limited registrations have also poured in. We are working on the plan,” said Dr DK Sharma, medical superintendent of the hospital.
On March 18, AIIMS sent an advisory to the OPD patients on their registered phone numbers, requesting them to postpone their appointments. From March 20, the hospital curtailed elective surgeries and a screening area was opened for patients having symptoms of respiratory tract infections. To ensure smooth treatment of Covid-19 patients, the Jai Prakash Narayan Apex Trauma Center (JPNATC) was converted into a dedicated Covid-19 hospital and the patients were shifted to the main campus. The hospital is now working on the redistribution of the beds for patients in the coming days. Read more
The Home Ministry Sunday gave its go-ahead to the re-opening of sports stadia without spectators. Does it clear the way for the 2020 IPL to be played behind closed doors?
What is the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) advisory on sports complexes?
On Sunday, the MHA issued guidelines for the fourth phase of the coronavirus-forced lockdown and mentioned that sports stadia would be allowed to open without spectators. “Sports complexes and stadia will be permitted to open; however, spectators will not be allowed,” the MHA advisory stated.
Does it pave the way for the IPL to start behind closed doors?
No. As long as there are restrictions on international and domestic travel, no plan can be made with regard to holding this year’s IPL. “See, the IPL at the moment is not possible because travel restrictions are still there. So how can you have the IPL without any travel happening? We are studying these guidelines and we will study state governments’ guidelines also. Accordingly we will plan,” BCCI treasurer Arun Dhumal told The Indian Express. Read more
Prime Minister Narendra Modi is learnt to have tasked an informal group of ministers (GoM) to monitor the implementation of the economic revival package announced by him last week, sources revealed on Monday. The informal group chaired by Defence Minister Rajnath Singh comprise of top ministers in the government, starting from Home Minister Amit Shah, Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman, Railways and Commerce Minister Piyush Goyal and Civil Aviation Minister Hardeep Puri, sources added.
The group, in fact, sources confide is likely to start working at the earliest since the Finance Minister has already announced all the elements of the package through last week. Sources, in this context, did not rule out the possibility of meetings from today itself. The constitution of the informal GoM holds significance keeping in mind the government has already liberalised restrictions across the country under the fourth phase of the nationwide lockdown that came into force today. Read more
Dear Readers,
On the face of it, as Prime Minister Narendra Modi said in his address to the nation on May 12, the Atmanirbhar Bharat Abhiyan economic package is worth Rs 20 lakh crore, which is around 10% of India’s GDP in the 2019-20 financial year. Yet, many have openly questioned the ability of this economic package to either provide adequate immediate relief to the most distressed sections of the economy, or indeed stem the rapid decline in India’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP) growth.
Let me attempt to explain why that is happening and why this package is seen as inadequate. With a nationwide lockdown for the better part of April and May, the total quantum of economic activity in the country — measured by the monetary value of all goods and services produced — has sharply curtailed. Udit Misra explains more here
Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Sunday announced the fifth and final tranche of the Rs 20-lakh crore economic relief package announced by Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Here's a breakup of the relief package.
Railway Minister Piyush Goyal has asked his officials to go all out to arrange for trains for migrants, and to “do the best you can” to make their journey home comfortable. Goyal became visibly emotional while talking about “the plight of migrants walking back home” during a meeting with Railways brass over video conference on Sunday, it is learnt.
This was in contrast to the instructions Goyal issued in a meeting on May 2, during which he asked officials to prioritise freight trains, run Shramik Specials only until May 17 and strictly at the request of state governments, and ensure that states paid for the migrants’ travel.
On Sunday, the minister asked Divisional Railway Managers (DRMs) to go ahead and take decisions based on the ground situation, including on operational and financial matters, without waiting for approval from the Railway Board. “You can take any decision in anticipation of post facto approval from the ministry or Railway Board, if required,” Goyal is learnt to have said. “Whatever decision you take, you presume it’s my decision and I’ll back it in total,” Goyal is learnt to have told the officers in the meeting. Read more
Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman Sunday announced a sharp 65 per cent hike over the Budget outlay for the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (MGNREGS) in the fifth and final tranche of AtmaNirbhar Bharat package. The sharp hike is indicative of the likely surge in demand for work in rural areas as migrant workers, who are travelling to their home towns amid the coronavirus lockdown, are unlikely to return to the cities soon for work.
Alongside this, states have been allowed to raise their borrowing limit to 5 per cent of the Gross State Domestic Product (GSDP) from 3 per cent, translating into additional borrowing headroom of Rs 4.28 lakh crore. While states had asked for greater fiscal headroom to tide over the crisis, the Centre has attached conditions for the increased borrowing space, which are emerging as dampeners. Read more
On May 12, Ramesh Kumar, a migrant worker from Siddharthnagar district in Uttar Pradesh, received the call he had been waiting for days — his application form to travel to Lucknow had been processed and that he would be on a train home the next day. Along with nine others, the 26-year-old reached the allocated meeting point, an open ground, at Saki Naka sharp at 7 am Wednesday.
Till 5 pm, the group waited patiently as officials called out application form numbers of migrants who would be allowed to board the train, scheduled to leave from CSMT. “Our numbers were not called out. We had been standing in the searing heat for the whole day with our luggage as we were assured that our forms have been processed, but were told to return home as the train was full. Several people, who had serial numbers after ours, however, were taken to the station to board the train,” Kumar, who works in a dye unit at Kajupada, said.
While doing rounds of the police chowki to find the status of his form earlier, Kumar claimed he had been approached by men who said they could facilitate his travel much faster for Rs 500 to Rs 1,000. Migrant workers stranded in other parts of the city, too, have claimed to have been approached by touts promising to process travel application forms quickly. Read more
As the third phase of the nationwide lockdown ended on Sunday, the Centre announced an extension till May 31, but listed considerable relaxations in non-containment zones that are set to further open up the economy. While all markets, offices, industries and businesses will be allowed to open, inter-state and intra-state movement of “passenger vehicles and buses” will be permitted with the consent of the states involved.
Significantly, in its guidelines for Phase IV of the lockdown beginning Monday, the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) said the “delineation of red, green and orange zones will be decided by the state and UT governments after taking into consideration the parameters shared by the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare.” Read more
As Lockdown 4.0 begins Monday, the Delhi government has got most of what it had asked of the Centre. A list of recommendations sent to the Prime Minister on Thursday had sought a considerable degree of opening up of the city so economic activity could restart. The Delhi government had, before that, asked people to send their suggestions about what they wanted in the fourth phase.
Most relaxations, however, are unlikely to come into force on Monday. With the Centre’s guidelines coming late Sunday evening, the Delhi government has decided to come out with its own set on Monday. Complete curbs will remain in all 64 containment zones in the city.
“Centre’s guidelines are largely in line with the proposal sent by Delhi government based on suggestions of lakhs of Delhiites. We have used the lockdown period to prepare our healthcare system if corona cases increase, but it is now time to relax the restrictions to some extent. Delhi government will prepare a detailed plan for the city based on the Centre’s guidelines and announce them tomorrow,” Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal said. Read more
While the delineation of red, orange and green zones has now been left to the states and Union territories (UTs), the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare on Sunday laid down the broad “parameters” on which a “multi-factorial analysis” should be based.
These include: the total number of active cases, active cases per lakh population, doubling rate over a 7-day period, case fatality ratio, tests per lakh population, and sample positivity rate. For each of these parameters, a “critical” level and a “desirable” level have been defined.
Significantly, the states have now been allowed to designate specific areas, instead of the entire district, as red, orange or green zones. “States may categorise districts/ municipal corporations as red/ orange/ green zones. States may, however, also choose to categorise a sub-division/ ward or any other appropriate administrative unit as red/ orange/ green zone after detailed analysis at their end, duly taking into consideration the geographical spread of cases, contacts and their zone of influence in terms of disease spread,” Union Health Secretary Preeti Sudan said in a letter to the states on Sunday. Read more
After steering the first three phases of the coronavirus lockdown, the government has decentralised the fourth step by asking states to take charge of the details while implementing its guidelines for the next fortnight. At the same time,
the guidelines assign greater ownership of the Covid-19 response to states.
This is a marked departure from mid-April, early in Lockdown 2.0, when the Union Home Ministry forced the Kerala government to modify its guidelines that were at slight variance with the central template. Subsequently, Kerala, which has been managing the outbreak better that many other states, had to roll back its relaxation for non-AC barber shops, bookshops, plying of buses, etc.
Even during Lockdown 3.0, from May 4, the Home Ministry had defined Red, Orange and Green zones for each state and specified the restrictions for different activities. The earlier relaxations in the guidelines, however, did not give space for much economic activity — a point that Chief Ministers flagged in their interaction with the Prime Minister last Monday. Unlike the previous phases, the guidelines for Lockdown 4.0 don’t get into the minute details of activities that were earlier laid down by the Home Ministry: allowing business (IT, medical, essential activities, etc), specifying the nature of vehicles and seating (pillion, front seat), arrangements for travel, and type of shops (essential, non-essential, barber/salon, e-commerce) allowed to open within markets. Read more
Rajasthan CM Ashok Gehlot Sunday said it would take months for migrants to reach home if they were dependent only on trains, and the government should arrange vehicles for them. ANI quoted him as saying: "Instead of criticising Rahul Gandhi, Centre should have held talks with Opposition on what help they need for arranging facilities for migrant workers. It'll take 6-8 months if migrants travel by train,we should arrange vehicles for them."
Earlier, Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman had called Rahul Gandhi meeting migrants 'a drama'.
The West Bengal government on Sunday said the central government order on extending the lockdown till May 31 will be followed strictly and no violations of the order would be tolerated. The ongoing status quo will continue. It will be followed very religiously till we come out with a further notification, a senior official said.
"We will come out with a notification on Monday afternoon," the official said on whether any plan was chalked out following the central government issuing guidelines of extending the ongoing lockdown till May 31. "Lockdown would continue, as it has been in place in the state, since the beginning. Any sort of violation would be dealth strictly," the official added.
A meeting of senior state government officials was held tonight to discuss the modalities of the order by the Ministry of Home Affairs. The Union home ministry on Sunday issued a nine-page guidelines listing the dos and don'ts during the lockdown 4.0 that has been clamped in the country to cut the chain of coronavirus infection. PTI
Eleven migrant labourers going from Himachal Pradesh to Bihar were injured on Sunday after their bus was hit by a speeding truck in Uttar Pradesh's Kushinagar district, police said. Four of the injured are critical and have been referred to the district hospital from Fazilnagar community health centre, while seven were discharged after treatment and sent home in the same bus. The bus was carrying 25 migrants workers. According to eyewitness, the truck driver dozed off and lost control over the vehicle. He fled the spot after the accident, the police said. PTI
Minutes after the Centre issued guidelines on extending the nationwide lockdown till May 31, Karnataka CM B S Yediyurappa called for a meeting to discuss its contours for the state.
“Chief Minister BS Yediyurappa has summoned for a meeting with ministers and senior officers to discuss about the guidelines issued by Government of India for lockdown 4.0 on May 18 at 11 am in Conference Hall, Vidhana Soudha. The steps to be taken and the guidelines to be issued for state will be discussed and finalised in this meeting,” a statement from the Karnataka CMO read. Read more here
The BCCI will co-ordinate with its state units to ensure that the players get to start skill-based training at local level after the government announced new regulations for the fourth phase of coronavirus-forced lockdown, treasurer Arun Dhumal said on Sunday. As per the MHA guidelines, the stadiums will be opened but no spectators will be allowed which indicates that the players can start their individual training although the camp which they were planning won't happen till travel restrictions are in place.
"The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has taken note of the guidelines issued by the Ministry of Home Affairs on Sunday for containment of COVID-19 across the country," Dhumal said in a BCCI press release. "Taking into the account the restrictions on air travel and movement of people till May 31, the BCCI will wait further before organizing a skill-based training camp for its contracted players," he stated.
"In the meantime, the BCCI will study guidelines at the state level and will work in sync with State Cricket Associations to chalk out a programme for skill-based training at a local level," Dhumal said. "The BCCI Office-Bearers will continue their interactions with the team management and draw up a suitable plan for the entire team once the situation further improves." He said that the safety of players was paramount. PTI
The Rajasthan government will issue detailed guidelines for lockdown 4.0 on Monday. In a meeting with state officials, Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot issued directions to arrange special buses for labourers who are walking on foot to their home. The bus services will be free for labourers and the chief minister has requested the Centre to approve the expenditure incurred on the arrangement under the state disaster relief fund. Gehlot also urged other state governments to run 'labourers special buses' to send Rajasthani migrants to their home. The chief minister instructed officials to form a separate team for monitoring of the coronavirus infection in the state so that further action plan could be prepared accordingly. Health Minister Raghu Sharma, Chief Secretary DB Gupta, ACS (Home) Rajeeva Swarup, DGP Bhupendra Singh and other senior officials were present at the meeting. PTI
Union Health Secretary Preeti Sudan has detailed parameters states and UTs should keep in mind while categorising areas into red, orange or green zones -- active COVID-19 cases, cases per lakh population, doubling and fatality rates, among others
Hours after the Modi government announced extension of the coronavirus lockdown, Indian aviation regulator DGCA said all scheduled commercial passenger flights have been suspended till May 31 midnight. The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) said "foreign and domestic airlines shall be suitably informed about the opening of their operations whether international to or from India or domestic, respectively, in due course".
All commercial passenger flights have been suspended in India since March 25, when the lockdown was imposed to curb the spread of the novel coronavirus.
Union Home Secretary Ajay Bhalla has written to Chief Secretaries of all states and UTs asking them to ensure compliance of new guidelines issued for the extended lockdown till 31st May and also reiterates not to dilute the guidelines.
Govt of Jammu & Kashmir has ordered that the lockdown guidelines issued by govt on 3rd May shall continue to remain valid in J&K till 19th May.
India will enter into the fourth phase of lockdown from May 18 but with a different set of rules and guidelines as was issued by the Home Ministry on Sunday. While several relaxations have been allowed, including inter-state movement of passenger vehicles and buses and opening of sports complexes and stadiums, schools, malls and restaurants would remain shut and suspension of flight and metro services would remain in force till May 31.
Hotels, restaurants, cinema halls, malls, swimming pools, gyms will also remain shut. The MHA said inter-state movement of passenger vehicles, buses would be allowed with mutual consent of states. States and Union Territories have been given the powers for delineation of Red, Green and Orange Zones as per the COVID-19 situation, the MHA said.
The 54-day curfew in India, owing to the rising number of coronavirus cases across the country, was first imposed for 21 days starting March 25 and then extended from April 15 and May 4. Read more here
Curfew in Himachal Pradesh will continue till May 31, said Chief Minister Jai Ram Thakur.
The Centre on Sunday extended the Covid-19 lockdown for two more weeks till May 31 with relaxations that are likely to completely open the economy with operation of all markets, offices, industries and businesses along with plying of buses in all zones, barring containment.
Domestic and international flights and metro rail will remain out of bounds for general public even as shopping malls, cinema halls, schools, colleges, hotels and restaurants, and religious and political gatherings will continue to remain prohibited. Sports complexes and stadia will open, albeit without spectators.
“All other activities will be permitted, except those which are specifically prohibited,” the guidelines issued by the Ministry of Home Affairs on the lockdown extension said. It is likely to open all services as well, including those of barbershops and spas. Read more here
In a significant dilution from previous Home Ministry directions, the latest MHA order on Sunday regarding Aarogya Setu downloads shifted towards much more flexibility.
The May 17 MHA order states: “With a view to ensuring safety in offices and workplaces, employers on best effort basis should ensure that Aarogya Setu is installed by all employees having compatible mobile phones. District authorities may advise individuals to install the Aarogya Setu application on compatible mobile phones and regularly update their health status on the app.”
The “best effort” addition is a significant rollback from the MHA order on May 1 that ushered in the third lockdown phase: “The local authority shall ensure 100% coverage of Aarogay Setu app among the residents of Containment Zones.” It had continued: “Use of Aarogya Setu app shall be made mandatory for all employees, both private and public. It shall be the responsibility of the Head of the respective Organizations to ensure 100% coverage of this app among employees.”
The Centre on Sunday extended the ongoing countrywide lockdown to combat the spread of Covid-19 till May 31 while issuing a nine-page guidelines listing the dos and don’ts during lockdown 4.0. Several relaxations have been allowed, including inter-state movement of passenger vehicles and buses and opening of sports complexes and stadiums. Highlights of lockdown 4.0 guidelines
The Union Home Ministry also issued national directives for Covid-19, making wearing of face cover mandatory in public and work places, spitting being liable for fine and banning consumption of liquor, pan, gutkha in public places.
Besides, prohibition on all public gatherings, closure of schools, malls and restaurants, and suspension of flight and Metro services will remain in force till May 31. All domestic, international air travel of passengers, except domestic air ambulance, will remain prohibited. Metro rail services, schools, colleges will remain closed till May end. Read more here
Centre's lockdown 4.0 guidelines are largely in line with the proposal sent by the Delhi government, Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal said on Sunday as he announced that a detailed plan to ease restrictions in the national capital will be announced on Monday.
In a series of tweets, Kejriwal said that his government had utilised the lockdown period to prepare the city's healthcare system in case there is a spike in COVID-19 cases. "Centre's guidelines are largely in line with the proposal sent by Delhi govt based on suggestions of lakhs of Delhiites. We have used the lockdown period to prepare our healthcare system if Corona cases increase, but it is now time to relax the restrictions to some extent," he said in a tweet.
"Delhi govt will prepare the detailed plan for Delhi based on the Centre's guidelines and announce it tomorrow (Monday)," he said in another tweet.
In a statement issued earlier, the Delhi government said that the Centre's guidelines for the fourth phase lockdown are in the right direction of opening up economy and leaving it to states to work out the details.
Karnataka CM Yediyurappa has called for a meeting with ministers and senior officers to discuss Lockdown 4.0 guidelines issued by the Centre.
With a view to ensuring safety in offices and workplaces, employers on best effort basis should ensure that Arogya Setu is installed by all employees having compatible mobile phones, says Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA).
District authorities have been asked to advise individuals to install the Aarogya Setu application on compatible mobile phones & regularly update their health status on the app. This will facilitate timely provision of medical attention to those individuals who are at risk.
Delhi Metro services will remain suspended till May 31 in view of lockdown extension, said DMRC.
The Delhi government Sunday said that, "Broadly, Centre’s guidelines are in the right direction of opening up the economy and leaving it to states to work out the details. We have always been saying that we all will now have to learn to live with Corona. We used the last two month lockdown period to prepare ourselves for dealing wid corona by improving necessary logistics and health infra. We do expect a slight increase in cases when the economy reopens and Delhi is prepared to deal with it." Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal added that detailed plan for Delhi based on the Centre's guidelines will be announced tomorrow.
The Ministry of Home Affairs on Sunday issued new guidelines for the fourth phase of the lockdown that has been extended till May 31. Prohibition on all public gatherings, closure of schools, malls and restaurants, and suspension of flight and Metro services will remain in force during this phase too. However, the MHA has allowed sports complexes to open, possibly clearing the path for the resumption of the training of athletes which came to a halt in mid-March.
The MHA said states will decide various zones, taking into consideration parameters shared by the Health Ministry.
Sports complexes were on Sunday permitted to open by the Ministry of Home Affairs in the fourth phase of the coronavirus-forced lockdown, possibly clearing the path for a resumption of the training of athletes which came to a halt in mid-March. "Sports complexes and stadia will be permitted to open, however, spectators won't be allowed," read one of the guidelines to be followed during the lockdown, which was due to end on Monday but has been extended till May 31. India has recorded over 90,000 COVID-19 cases so far with nearly 3000 deaths. However, sport continues to be listed among the functions, gatherings and large congregations which were not allowed as of now.
Persons above 65 years of age, persons with co-morbidities, pregnant women and children below the age of 10 years, shall stay at home, except for essential and health purposes.
The movement of individuals shall remain strictly prohibited between 7 pm to 7 am, except for essential activities. Local authorities shall issue orders, in the entire area of their jurisdiction, under appropriate provisions of law, such as prohibitory orders (curfew) under section 144 of CrPC and ensure strict compliance.
All markets and all shops to open barring those in malls in all zones. States have been given greater freedom in deciding which part of their state should be red, green and orange. In the containment zones, only essential activities shall be allowed. there shall be strict perimeter control to ensure that there is no movement of people in or out of these zones, except for medical emergencies and for maintaining supply of essential goods and services. guidelines of the health ministry shall be taken into consideration for the above purpose.
Following activities to remain prohibited:
All domestic, international air travel of passengers, except domestic air ambulance, will remain prohibited till May 31.
In an order, the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) said lockdown measures need to be implemented for a further period of 14 days in the country to contain the spread of COVID-19. The death toll due to COVID-19 rose to 2,872 and the number of total positive cases climbed to 90,927 Sunday morning, according to the Union Health Ministry.
The NDMA, in exercise of powers under Section 6 (2) (i) of the Disaster Management Act, 2005, hereby directs the ministries and departments of the Government of India, state governments and state authorities to continue the lockdown measures up to May 31, NDMA member secretary G V V Sarma said. The authority further directs the National Executive Committee, headed by the Union Home Secretary, to issue modifications in the guidelines as necessary, keeping in view the need to open up economic activities while containing the spread of COVID-19, the order said.The lockdown was first announced by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on March 24 for 21 days with effect from March 25. It was then extended till May 3 and again till May 17.
The nationwide lockdown has been extended till May 31. The Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) will issue a fresh set of guidelines pertaining to the fourth phase of the lockdown shortly.
Karnataka, which has reported 1,147 coronavirus cases, has extended its lockdown till May 19. Officials have clarified, all directives that were put in place on May 4 shall continue. The state has recorded 36 COVID-19-linked deaths. The Ministry of Home Affairs is expected to issue new guidelines on nationwide lockdown today as the country is set to enter its fourth phase of lockdown on May 18.
Following suggestions from the states, an MHA official said that no state wants complete withdrawal of lockdown but all want gradual resumption of economic activities, according to PTI. The official said there will be lots of relaxations and flexibility in lockdown 4.0 with complete reopening of the green zones, very limited curbs in orange zones and strict restrictions only in the containment areas of red zones. The official also said states and UTs may be empowered to take decisions on easing of the curbs. However, the final guidelines will be issued by the MHA only after going through the suggestions of the state governments.
In the midst of the rising numbers of people getting infected and dying from the novel coronavirus, voices in favour of reopening social and economic activities are also becoming louder.
With the number of positive cases across the country having crossed 90,000, and with more than 2,600 people dead, policymakers are grappling with difficult choices. The economy is struggling on all fronts, from skyrocketing unemployment to nosediving financial resources, which are vital to jump-start economic activities.
The massive migration of labour, and the numbers of stranded people swarming the roads, will be one of the defining socio-economic events of our times — and governments face the challenge of responding simultaneously to great human misery and a risk-laden infection super-spreader event. Read more here
As the Centre mulled easing some strict curbs in the fourth phase of the shutdown from Monday, state governments favoured more relaxations in lockdown restrictions for scaling up economic activities in non-containment coronavirus zones. However, some states including Punjab, West Bengal, Maharashtra, Assam and Telangana are in favour of extending the lockdown till the end of this month and have asked for powers to decide the zoning of districts — green, orange and red – as per the Covid-19 situation.
On Friday, while the Mizoram government announced it was extending the lockdown till May 31, Bihar, on the other hand, urged the Centre to continue the unprecedented measure till the month-end besides keeping rail and air traffic, other than the “Shramik Special’ trains for migrant labourers and evacuation flights, suspended during the period.
The new guidelines will be based on the suggestions made by chief ministers of all the states to the home ministry last week. “Based on the suggestions by states, information related to lockdown 4 will be given to you before 18th May. We will fight corona and we will move forward,” the Prime Minister had said, adding that “we have to live with coronavirus for some time.”
The 54-day curfew in India, owing to the rising number of coronavirus cases across the country, was first imposed for 21 days starting March 25 and then extended from April 15 and May 4.
The lockdown was first imposed for 21 days starting March 25 and then extended on April 15 and later on May 4. The lockdown 3.0 ends today. While some states have suggested to the Centre to extend the lockdown, most want to decide on zones and restrictions when the third phase of the lockdown ends.
Telangana was the first state in the country to extend lockdown till May 29. Chief Minister K Chandrashekhar Rao had announced the continuation of existing restrictions till the remainder of the month within a few days after the Centre decided to extend the nationwide lockdown till May 17.
Under lockdown restrictions, all shops in rural areas are allowed to run, while 50 per cent shops in towns will be allowed to function. Private and public sector offices will be allowed to function with a third of the staff. Meanwhile, shops selling non-essential items will remain shut in red zones.
The state government has announced curfew hours between 7 pm and 6 am in all 33 districts of the state. “Public should complete purchase of essential items by 6 pm and return to their residences by then. There will be curfew in the state from 7 pm onwards. If anyone is found outside, police will initiate action,” the chief minister had said.
Currently, the total number of coronavirus cases in the state stands at 1,509, including 34 deaths and 971 recoveries, according to the Ministry of Health.
The COVID-19 lockdown was on Sunday extended till May 31 in Tamil Nadu by Chief Minister K Palaniswami who announced new relaxations such as resumption of public transportation in 25 districts after a hiatus of nearly two months. In 12 other districts, including Chennai, there will be no change in the curbs and will continue as they existed during the third phase of lockdown, set to end on Sunday, he added. Citing consultations with top officials, public health and medical experts, he said the lockdown is extended till May 31 and the curbs including bar on functioning of educational institutions, public entry into religious places and relaxations already in force will continue throughout the state. Palaniswami announced new relaxation in curbs for 25 districts, including Coimbatore, Salem, Erode, Tirupur, Namakkal and Karur, where people could avail government and private bus transportation for commute within the district and they do not need "TN e-pass," (permission for travel), he said. Effective March 24 evening, public transport ceased to operate in the state as part of lockdown measures. (PTI)
After participating in the video conferencing with Prime Minister, Mamata Banerjee announced that the State Government will divide the Red Zone in three parts.
Tamil Nadu has also joined Maharashtra in extending the lockdown till May 31. It has not offered any relaxations to 12 districts including capital Chennai.
The Tamil Nadu government has requested the Centre not to resume regular air, rail services till May 31, except special trains for migrants. Sources said gyms, cinemas, malls and religious centre centres will remain closed in the state till further orders. Indicating that the state is likely to extend the lockdown till May 31, all public places such as parks and beaches also will be closed till this month-end, barring exceptions for industries and some individual shops.