With the fourth phase of the nationwide lockdown nearing its end, the Ministry Of Home Affairs (MHA) on Saturday, May 30, notified that the lockdown will remain in place in containment zones till June 30. The MHA also issued a fresh set of guidelines for the phased reopening of activities outside containment zones.
As per the Centre's latest order, containment zones will be demarcated by the district authorities after taking into consideration the guidelines issued by the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare (MoHFW). With more than 8,000 fresh cases of the novel coronavirus detected in the last 24 hours, India's COVID-19 tally has crossed 1,73,000.
Unlock 1: Phased reopening of activities outside containment zones
In the first phase of Unlock 1, religious places, hotels, restaurants and shopping malls will be permitted to reopen from June 8. Separate guidelines will be issued by the Centre in this regard.
The second phase will see the reopening of schools, colleges and coaching centres across the country. The final decision in this matter will be taken in the month of July 2020 after consultations with respective states and Union Territories. Therefore, educational institutions will remain shut all through June.
Finally, the third phase will cover international air travel, metro rail, cinema halls, gymnasiums, swimming pools, entertainment parks. The date of the restarting of these activities will be decided after a thorough assessment of the situation.
On the other hand, only essential activities will be permitted in the containment zones for the next one month.
Other directives
Further, the MHA's order states that the night curfew will remain in place throughout the country for the time being. The hours of restrictions have been revised as people now need to stay indoors from 9:00 pm to 5:00 pm, except for those in essential services.
The Centre has also lifted all sorts of restrictions on the inter-state and intra-state movement of persons and goods which means that people do not require separate permission or an e-pass to move.
However, all the states and UTs have been given the authority to impose restrictions and prohibit activities as per their respective assessment of the prevailing novel coronavirus situation.
