Himachal Pradesh to resume public transport services from June 1, guidelines issued

A day before the country ends the fourth phase of Coronavirus lockdown, the Himachal Pradesh government has said the public transport in the state will resume from June 1. The decision was taken in the cabinet meeting held under by chief minister Jai Ram Thakur. The state is set to resume both inter-district and intra-district public transport, including state-run and private bus services. However, amid rising Covid-19 cases, social distancing norms have been specified. It has been instructed that the buses will ply with 60% occupancy and it will be sanitized at least two times in a day.

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Lockdown in India

The Centre is yet to announce the extension of the lockdown 4.0, however, Home Minister Amit Shah spoke to the chief ministers of all the states, following which he met PM Modi. Both leaders on Friday reviewed the COVID-19 situation of the country. 

The first phase of the lockdown was announced on March 24 for a duration of three weeks. To contain the virus, the government in that phase had only allowed a handful of essential services. The Centre then extended the lockdown till May 3 but eased a few restrictions. As cases increased, the lockdown was further extended till May 17 but the focus was now given to boost the economy that was severely affected. The centre allowed several activities and various sectors were opened up, including factories and industries in areas outside municipal limits. Non- essential services were also allowed to open except in Red zones and in containment areas.

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Covid tally in India

The number of COVID-19 cases in India has climbed to 1,65,799. The Health Ministry on Friday said the death toll due to COVID-19 rose to 4,706 in the country, while the number of cases climbed to 1,65,799, registering an increase of 175 deaths and a record jump of 7,466 cases. The Health Ministry said the number of active COVID-19 cases stood at 89,987, while 71,105 people have recovered and one patient has migrated. The total confirmed cases include foreigners.

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