BSS-60 India extends lockdown till May 31 with fresh guidelines

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INDIA-COVID-19-LOCKDOWN

India extends lockdown till May 31 with fresh guidelines

By Aminul Islam Mirja

NEW DELHI, May 17, 2020 (BSS) – India today extended a nearly two-month-old stringent lockdown by another two weeks as COVID-19 cases exceeded 90,000 and claimed so far 2,872 lives while major regions and cities like Mumbai, New Delhi, Chennai are battling to control the rising curve of infections.

The Union home ministry this evening issued an order extending the lockdown with new guidelines that allowed cautious movement of people during the daytime and inter-state transport, buses and public vehicles.

But the inter-state movement of passenger vehicles and buses will be allowed with mutual consent of states involved during the lockdown.

“New guidelines have permitted considerable relaxations in lockdown restrictions,” the ministry said in a tweet accompanying the order.

But despite the eased restrictions all domestic and international air travel of passengers, metro rail services, running of educational institutions, hotels, restaurants and other hospitality services, shopping malls, gymnasiums and entertainment parks would continue to remain prohibited throughout the country.

The interior ministry order said the lockdown would be relaxed in areas with low numbers of cases but social, political, cultural and other such gatherings and other large congregations and access to religious places of worship for public would remain prohibited.

The guideline encouraged online or distance learning systems to operate while permitted restaurants to operate kitchens alone for home delivery of food items.

“Night curfew shall continue to remain in force on the movement of individuals, for all non-essential activities, between 7 pm and 7 am,” the home ministry order said.

The guideline simultaneously ordered mandatory use of face covers alongside stringent enforcement of social distancing in public places and transports and added that spitting would be punishable with fine.

According to the guidelines as high as 50 people would be allowed to gather in wedding ceremonies and 20 could assemble for funerals or last rites.

Besides, people with different vulnerabilities, persons above 65 years of age and co-morbidities, pregnant women and children below the age of 10 years, ust stay indoors except for meeting essential requirements like health purposes.

District authorities have been authorized to demarcate ‘containment’ and ‘buffer’ areas within red and orange Covid-19 hotspots as per the health ministry’s guidelines.

The guidelines also empowered the states and federally-ruled regions to decide on red, green and orange virus hotspots based on Covid-19 situation at the neighbourhoods.

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi in a televised address to the nation on March 24 had first announced the imposition of the lockdown from March 25. Since then, it is the third time the lockdown has been extended.

The last lockdown was due to expire at midnight on Sunday.

But the shutdown sparked a crisis for the hundreds of millions of Indians who rely on daily wages to survive while many urban migrants attempting to return to their home villages set out on grueling journeys on foot or hitched rides in the back of trucks losing livelihood.

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