MHA releases guidelines for lockdown till May 31; states to decide red,orange, green zones

After the extension of the nationwide lockdown till May 31, the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA), on Sunday, released its detailed guidelines for the extended lockdown. The MHA has allowed the delineation of red, green and orange zones as per state and UT governments, taking the Ministry of Health & Family Welfare (MoHFW) into consideration. Moreover, the Centre has also imposed a mandatory night curfew in all areas from 7:00 PM to 7:00 AM, except for essential activities.

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Prohibitions & relaxation in Lockdown 4.0

As per MHA guidlines, all domestic & international air travel, metros, educational institutions, hotels, cinema halls, malls, gyms, swimming pools, places of worship, social/political/sport/entertainment/ cultural/religious events will remain prohibited. On the other hand, sports complexes and stadia are allowed to open without spectators. Moreover, inter-state movement of passenger vehicles and buses will be allowed on mutual consent and intra-satte movement of vehicles can be allowed as per state government's decision.

Furthermore the MHA has allowed states to decide on red, orange and green zones and allowed district authorities to demarcate containment and buffer zones in red and orange zones. The MHA has also allowed essential activities in continment zones, but barred movement of people in and out of the zone. Apart from the above mentioned prohibitions, all other activities will be mentioned, states the MHA , with an additional nigh curfew. States and UTs can prohibit any other activities as deemed necessary. Apart from these guidelines, MHA has amended mandatory 'Aarogya Setu' installation to asking employers to install the app on a 'best effort basis' by its employees.

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MHA's revised guidelines:

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States extend lockdown

Prior to the nationwide lockdown extension till May 31, five states - Punjab, Mizoram, Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu and Telanagana had already extended their state lockdown as cases soared. Moreover, Karanataka had extended its lockdown till May 19. India's currently has 90,927 cases with 2872 fatalities, while PM Modi has announced a Rs 20 lakh crore economic package - including the previous monetary package and the liquidity measures announced by RBI till date (amounting to 10.26 lakh crore) to kickstart Indian economy's growth.

Coronavirus Live Updates: India extends nationwide lockdown till May 31; cases at 90,927