The Centre will ease lockdown and allow select industries & economic activity from today in areas least affected by the COVID-19.
New Delhi| A number of constraints on economic activities and services imposed as part of a nationwide lockdown will be eased from today in areas excluding the containment zones defined by the states as the Centre looks to resume the economy after 26 days of shutdown.
The government had come out with specific guidelines for the lockdown phase-2 that will end on May 3, but some of the rules have since been tweaked, while some states have chosen to forge their own path on resuming.
What Will Be Allowed:
- Capital and debt markets as notified by SEBI, RBI, banks, ATMs and insurance companies
- With strict social distancing and use of face masks MNREGA work
- Water, sanitation, waste management and power: Public utilities
- Inter- and intra-state loading and unloading of goods/cargo by rail, air, sea and road)
- Online teaching and distance learning
- Essential goods supply: local grocery stores and e-commerce retailers
- Data and call centres (for government activities only); e-commerce companies selling essential goods; commercial and private establishments (these include print and electronic media, including broadcasting, DTH and cable services; courier services; and hotels, homestays and lodges for stranded persons or medical and emergency staff)
- Industries both government as well as private, operating in rural areas and those involved in food processing and the manufacture of medicines and medical equipment
- Cocoa plantations, coconut, spice bamboo, areca nut
- Scheduled tribes can work on Forest produce
- Activities related to construction (roads, irrigation projects and industrial projects in rural areas and where no additional workers are needed)
- Emergency services private vehicles (medical and veterinary care), procuring essential commodities and for personnel travelling to workplaces in exempted categories, as per instructions of state/union territory authorities
- All governments bodies to remain open
- Operation of homes for children, disabled people and those with special needs, as well as senior citizens’ homes and those for destitute people; disbursement of social security and employee pensions will resume, work of Anganwadis (for distribution of food to women and children at their homes once in 15 days) will also begin.
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What Will Not Be Allowed:
- Air, rail and road travel
- Non-essential goods supply by e-commerce companies
- Training & Educational institutions
- Commercial and Industrial activities
- Hospitality services
- Cinema halls, theatres
- Shopping complexes
- Social, political and other events
- Religious places, congregations
- Inter-state movement of stranded labourers
1,553 cases were reported in the last 24 hours which takes the tally to 17,265, including 543 deaths and 36 deaths were reported in the last 24 hours, union Health Ministry said today.
Maharashtra remains the worst-hit state in the country, which reported not just the highest number of new cases for the state, but also for Mumbai. The state capital added 456 cases and 6 fatalities to its COVID-19 count even at a case fatality rate of 4.8%. Maharashtra now has a total of 4,200 cases and the 223 deaths.
The entire nation is under lockdown since March 25 to check the spread of the highly infectious novel coronavirus pandemic.
However, the centre is set to relax restraints today in non-containment zones to boost economic activity in line with announcements made by PM Modi last week.
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